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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
! Free To Good Home
As I finish scanning manuals, I will make the hard copies available
for free (just pay shipping). See [FTGH] for more details.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Aristocart] Division Western International Communications Co. Ltd.
* [Armstrong Transmitter Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [BME - Broadcast Management Engineering Magazine]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Broadcasters General Store]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [Cablewave Systems]
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Elgin Electronics]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Goldline]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] and Satellite
Communications Division - See also GatesRadioCompany and
http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Harris Allied] formerly Allied Broadcast Equipment, broadcast
equipment distributor
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Johnson Electronics]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [NAD Electronics]
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [QRK]
* [Radio Business Report]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Realistic] (Radio Shack)
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [Sine Systems] Transmitter Remote Control Systems
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Telefile Computer Products, Inc.]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Telos]
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [Thordarson] Transformers
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [UMC Beaucart]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Wilkinson|Larcan]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Mullard CRT Tube
Manufacturing|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4QXqBasVjY] - Video on
the complex manufacturing of CRT tubes.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
! Free To Good Home
As I finish scanning manuals, I will make the hard copies available
for free (just pay shipping). See [FTGH] for more details.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Aristocart] Division Western International Communications Co. Ltd.
* [Armstrong Transmitter Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [BME - Broadcast Management Engineering Magazine]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Broadcasters General Store]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [Cablewave Systems]
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Elgin Electronics]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Goldline]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] and Satellite
Communications Division - See also GatesRadioCompany and
http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Harris Allied] formerly Allied Broadcast Equipment, broadcast
equipment distributor
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Johnson Electronics]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [QRK]
* [Radio Business Report]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Realistic] (Radio Shack)
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [Sine Systems] Transmitter Remote Control Systems
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Telefile Computer Products, Inc.]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Telos]
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [Thordarson] Transformers
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [UMC Beaucart]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Wilkinson|Larcan]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Mullard CRT Tube
Manufacturing|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4QXqBasVjY] - Video on
the complex manufacturing of CRT tubes.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
! Free To Good Home
As I finish scanning manuals, I will make the hard copies available
for free (just pay shipping). See [FTGH] for more details.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Aristocart] Division Western International Communications Co. Ltd.
* [Armstrong Transmitter Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [BME - Broadcast Management Engineering Magazine]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Broadcasters General Store]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [Cablewave Systems]
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Elgin Electronics]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] and Satellite
Communications Division - See also GatesRadioCompany and
http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Harris Allied] formerly Allied Broadcast Equipment, broadcast
equipment distributor
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Johnson Electronics]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [QRK]
* [Radio Business Report]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Realistic] (Radio Shack)
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [Sine Systems] Transmitter Remote Control Systems
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Telefile Computer Products, Inc.]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Telos]
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [Thordarson] Transformers
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [UMC Beaucart]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Wilkinson|Larcan]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Mullard CRT Tube
Manufacturing|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4QXqBasVjY] - Video on
the complex manufacturing of CRT tubes.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
! Free To Good Home
As I finish scanning manuals, I will make the hard copies available
for free (just pay shipping). See [FTGH] for more details.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Aristocart] Division Western International Communications Co. Ltd.
* [Armstrong Transmitter Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [BME - Broadcast Management Engineering Magazine]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Broadcasters General Store]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [Cablewave Systems]
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] and Satellite
Communications Division - See also GatesRadioCompany and
http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Harris Allied] formerly Allied Broadcast Equipment, broadcast
equipment distributor
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Johnson Electronics]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [QRK]
* [Radio Business Report]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Realistic] (Radio Shack)
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [Sine Systems] Transmitter Remote Control Systems
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Telefile Computer Products, Inc.]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Telos]
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [Thordarson] Transformers
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [UMC Beaucart]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Wilkinson|Larcan]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Mullard CRT Tube
Manufacturing|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4QXqBasVjY] - Video on
the complex manufacturing of CRT tubes.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
! Free To Good Home
As I finish scanning manuals, I will make the hard copies available
for free (just pay shipping). See [FTGH] for more details.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Armstrong Transmitter Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [BME - Broadcast Management Engineering Magazine]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Broadcasters General Store]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [Cablewave Systems]
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] and Satellite
Communications Division - See also GatesRadioCompany and
http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Harris Allied] formerly Allied Broadcast Equipment, broadcast
equipment distributor
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Johnson Electronics]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [QRK]
* [Radio Business Report]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Realistic] (Radio Shack)
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [Sine Systems] Transmitter Remote Control Systems
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Telefile Computer Products, Inc.]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Telos]
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [Thordarson] Transformers
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [UMC Beaucart]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Wilkinson|Larcan]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Mullard CRT Tube
Manufacturing|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4QXqBasVjY] - Video on
the complex manufacturing of CRT tubes.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
! Free To Good Home
As I finish scanning manuals, I will make the hard copies available
for free (just pay shipping). See [FTGH] for more details.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Armstrong Transmitter Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [BME - Broadcast Management Engineering Magazine]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Broadcasters General Store]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] and Satellite
Communications Division - See also GatesRadioCompany and
http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Harris Allied] formerly Allied Broadcast Equipment, broadcast
equipment distributor
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Johnson Electronics]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [QRK]
* [Radio Business Report]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Realistic] (Radio Shack)
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [Sine Systems] Transmitter Remote Control Systems
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Telefile Computer Products, Inc.]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Telos]
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [Thordarson] Transformers
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [UMC Beaucart]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Wilkinson|Larcan]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Mullard CRT Tube
Manufacturing|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4QXqBasVjY] - Video on
the complex manufacturing of CRT tubes.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
! Free To Good Home
As I finish scanning manuals, I will make the hard copies available
for free (just pay shipping). See [FTGH] for more details.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [BME - Broadcast Management Engineering Magazine]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Broadcasters General Store]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] and Satellite
Communications Division - See also GatesRadioCompany and
http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Harris Allied] formerly Allied Broadcast Equipment, broadcast
equipment distributor
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Johnson Electronics]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [QRK]
* [Radio Business Report]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Realistic] (Radio Shack)
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [Sine Systems] Transmitter Remote Control Systems
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Telefile Computer Products, Inc.]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Telos]
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [Thordarson] Transformers
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [UMC Beaucart]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Wilkinson|Larcan]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Mullard CRT Tube
Manufacturing|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4QXqBasVjY] - Video on
the complex manufacturing of CRT tubes.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
! Free To Good Home
As I finish scanning manuals, I will make the hard copies available
for free (just pay shipping). See [FTGH] for more details.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [BME - Broadcast Management Engineering Magazine]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Broadcasters General Store]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] and Satellite
Communications Division - See also GatesRadioCompany and
http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Harris Allied] formerly Allied Broadcast Equipment, broadcast
equipment distributor
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Johnson Electronics]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [QRK]
* [Radio Business Report]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Realistic] (Radio Shack)
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [Sine Systems] Transmitter Remote Control Systems
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Telefile Computer Products, Inc.]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Telos]
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [Thordarson] Transformers
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Wilkinson|Larcan]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Mullard CRT Tube
Manufacturing|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4QXqBasVjY] - Video on
the complex manufacturing of CRT tubes.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
! Free To Good Home
As I finish scanning manuals, I will make the hard copies available
for free (just pay shipping). See [FTGH] for more details.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [BME - Broadcast Management Engineering Magazine]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Broadcasters General Store]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] and Satellite
Communications Division - See also GatesRadioCompany and
http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Harris Allied] formerly Allied Broadcast Equipment, broadcast
equipment distributor
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Johnson Electronics]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [QRK]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Realistic] (Radio Shack)
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [Sine Systems] Transmitter Remote Control Systems
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Telefile Computer Products, Inc.]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Telos]
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [Thordarson] Transformers
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Wilkinson|Larcan]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Mullard CRT Tube
Manufacturing|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4QXqBasVjY] - Video on
the complex manufacturing of CRT tubes.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
! Free To Good Home
As I finish scanning manuals, I will make the hard copies available
for free (just pay shipping). See [FTGH] for more details.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [BM/E - Broadcast Management/Engineering Magazine]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Broadcasters General Store]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] and Satellite
Communications Division - See also GatesRadioCompany and
http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Harris Allied] formerly Allied Broadcast Equipment, broadcast
equipment distributor
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Johnson Electronics]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [QRK]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Realistic] (Radio Shack)
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [Sine Systems] Transmitter Remote Control Systems
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Telefile Computer Products, Inc.]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Telos]
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [Thordarson] Transformers
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Wilkinson|Larcan]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Mullard CRT Tube
Manufacturing|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4QXqBasVjY] - Video on
the complex manufacturing of CRT tubes.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
! Free To Good Home
As I finish scanning manuals, I will make the hard copies available
for free (just pay shipping). See [FTGH] for more details.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Broadcasters General Store]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] and Satellite
Communications Division - See also GatesRadioCompany and
http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Harris Allied] formerly Allied Broadcast Equipment, broadcast
equipment distributor
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Johnson Electronics]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [QRK]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Realistic] (Radio Shack)
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [Sine Systems] Transmitter Remote Control Systems
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Telefile Computer Products, Inc.]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Telos]
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [Thordarson] Transformers
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Wilkinson|Larcan]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Mullard CRT Tube
Manufacturing|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4QXqBasVjY] - Video on
the complex manufacturing of CRT tubes.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Broadcasters General Store]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] and Satellite
Communications Division - See also GatesRadioCompany and
http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Harris Allied] formerly Allied Broadcast Equipment, broadcast
equipment distributor
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Johnson Electronics]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [QRK]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Realistic] (Radio Shack)
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [Sine Systems] Transmitter Remote Control Systems
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Telefile Computer Products, Inc.]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Telos]
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [Thordarson] Transformers
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Wilkinson|Larcan]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Mullard CRT Tube
Manufacturing|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4QXqBasVjY] - Video on
the complex manufacturing of CRT tubes.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Broadcasters General Store]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] and Satellite
Communications Division - See also GatesRadioCompany and
http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Harris Allied] formerly Allied Broadcast Equipment, broadcast
equipment distributor
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Johnson Electronics]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Realistic] (Radio Shack)
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [Sine Systems] Transmitter Remote Control Systems
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Telefile Computer Products, Inc.]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Telos]
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [Thordarson] Transformers
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Wilkinson|Larcan]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Mullard CRT Tube
Manufacturing|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4QXqBasVjY] - Video on
the complex manufacturing of CRT tubes.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] and Satellite
Communications Division - See also GatesRadioCompany and
http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Harris Allied] formerly Allied Broadcast Equipment, broadcast
equipment distributor
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Johnson Electronics]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Realistic] (Radio Shack)
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [Sine Systems] Transmitter Remote Control Systems
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Telefile Computer Products, Inc.]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Telos]
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [Thordarson] Transformers
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Wilkinson|Larcan]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Mullard CRT Tube
Manufacturing|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4QXqBasVjY] - Video on
the complex manufacturing of CRT tubes.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] and Satellite
Communications Division - See also GatesRadioCompany and
http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Johnson Electronics]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Realistic] (Radio Shack)
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [Sine Systems] Transmitter Remote Control Systems
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Telefile Computer Products, Inc.]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Telos]
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [Thordarson] Transformers
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Wilkinson|Larcan]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Mullard CRT Tube
Manufacturing|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4QXqBasVjY] - Video on
the complex manufacturing of CRT tubes.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] and Satellite
Communications Division - See also GatesRadioCompany and
http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Johnson Electronics]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Realistic] (Radio Shack)
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [Sine Systems] Transmitter Remote Control Systems
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Telefile Computer Products, Inc.]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [Thordarson] Transformers
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Wilkinson|Larcan]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Mullard CRT Tube
Manufacturing|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4QXqBasVjY] - Video on
the complex manufacturing of CRT tubes.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] and Satellite
Communications Division - See also GatesRadioCompany and
http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Johnson Electronics]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Realistic] (Radio Shack)
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Telefile Computer Products, Inc.]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [Thordarson] Transformers
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Wilkinson|Larcan]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Mullard CRT Tube
Manufacturing|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4QXqBasVjY] - Video on
the complex manufacturing of CRT tubes.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] and Satellite
Communications Division - See also GatesRadioCompany and
http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Johnson Electronics]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Realistic] (Radio Shack)
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Telefile Computer Products, Inc.]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [Thordarson] Transformers
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Mullard CRT Tube
Manufacturing|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4QXqBasVjY] - Video on
the complex manufacturing of CRT tubes.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] and Satellite
Communications Division - See also GatesRadioCompany and
http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Johnson Electronics]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Realistic] (Radio Shack)
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Telefile Computer Products, Inc.]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Mullard CRT Tube
Manufacturing|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4QXqBasVjY] - Video on
the complex manufacturing of CRT tubes.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] and Satellite
Communications Division - See also GatesRadioCompany and
http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Johnson Electronics]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Telefile Computer Products, Inc.]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Mullard CRT Tube
Manufacturing|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4QXqBasVjY] - Video on
the complex manufacturing of CRT tubes.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [History of Computer
Communications|https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/] -
EXTENSIVE information on the history of communications between
computers. It starts with modems and the Carterfone decision up
through the internet.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
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If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
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<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] and Satellite
Communications Division - See also GatesRadioCompany and
http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Johnson Electronics]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Telefile Computer Products, Inc.]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Mullard CRT Tube
Manufacturing|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4QXqBasVjY] - Video on
the complex manufacturing of CRT tubes.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] and Satellite
Communications Division - See also GatesRadioCompany and
http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Johnson Electronics]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Telefile Computer Products, Inc.]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Johnson Electronics]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Telefile Computer Products, Inc.]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Johnson Electronics]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Audi-Cord Corporation]
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Contel ASC]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Archive|https://web.archive.org/web/20070312143146/http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html]
at arhive.org
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Ohmite Manufacturing Company]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Boonton Radio Corporation]
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [Triplett]
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [Simpson Electric Company]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Video Systems of America]
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Leeds & Northrup Company]
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Gregg Laboratories]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Desk Fax|http://madrona.ca/e/deskfax/index.html] - A
fax machine to replace the messenger boy in getting telegrams to and
from businesses.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Television Tests|Upload:harold/TelevisionTests1.pdf] - Training for
analog television. Includes Audio-Video Hall.
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
! Periodicals
* [Electronics Digest]
<br>
<br>
----
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NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
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If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
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material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Measurements]
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
* [Yokogawa Electric Works]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Transmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Central Office Buildings|http://www.co-buildings.com/] - A
collection of central office building photographs throughout the
United States and elsewhere.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
See recent changes
[here|https://bh.hallikainen.org/index.php/RecentChanges?show_minor=1&days=30&show_all=1].
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Progress|http://telecom-digest.org/wutechprogress/] - 1935 to 1945.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Weston]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Link, Fred M]
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* [Survivor
Library|http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download] -
Old books covering a WIDE range of subjects including radio,
telegraph, and telephone.
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [National Association of Broadcasters]
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Dataworld]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [David Sarnoff Library|https://davidsarnoff.org/libindex.html]
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Computer Concepts]
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Controls]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|https://bh.hallikainen.org/thg/monitor] - The company
newsletter of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! Photo Gallery
[Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/] of contributed
photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company
Monitor|/thg/monitor] - The company newsletter of the Mountain States
Telephone and Telegraph Company.
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics], see also [Cetec Broadcast Group]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kinght-kit]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Lang Electronics}
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Metrotech]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Minicom Division of 3M]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.)
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI] (Microprobe Electronics Inc.
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [MEI]
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [MCI]
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [American Wireless Association|https://www.antiquewireless.org/] -
To preserve and share the history of technology used to communicate
and entertain from the first telegram to today’s wireless text
messaging. Besides the museum, AWA has extensive documentation,
videos, etc. of radio history.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Peak Audio]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Soltec]
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [Sescom]
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* [Garner Industries]
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [W1TP TELEGRAPH & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT MUSEUMS|http://w1tp.com/] -
Very extensive photograph collection of telegraph equipment from the
time of the US Civil War.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|https://telephoneworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [Jensen Transformers]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [US Audio]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Lambda Electronics Corp.]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Norcom]
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
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! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Nortronics] tape heads
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Nova Systems, Inc.]
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [C & D Batteries] Division of The Electric Autolite Company
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [Lorain Products Corporation]
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronic Signal Products]
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multi-technical Services] (MTS) - EBS equipment
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Principles of Telegraphy
(Teletypewriter)|https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/tty/Principles_of_Telegraphy.pdf]
- EXTENSIVE discussion of the history and principles of telegraphy.
Navships 0967-255-0010. 1967.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation on
California Highway Patrol and other police radio systems.
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [WB6NVH|https://www.wb6nvh.com/] - Extensive documentation of mobile
telephone systems.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Denon]
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Coastcom]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Conex Electro Systems]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Coastcom]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [ComStream]
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Coastcom]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Continental Satellite Systems]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Coastcom]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [J. G. S. Engineering Inc.]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Coastcom]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenneth A. Bacon Associates]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Coastcom]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon]
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Coastcom]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Farallon\
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Aston]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Coastcom]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Coastcom]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Midwest Communications]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Coastcom]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [Electronic Fossil|https://www.electronicfossil.org/] - Photo
collection of Marconi Items, Early Radio, Wireless Age, Early
Television, Electrical Devices, 1920's Radio Speakers, 1930's Radios,
Scientific Medical and Quack Devices, and more.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Coastcom]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery3/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Coastcom]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [radiomuseum.org|https://www.radiomuseum.org/] - User contributed
manuals, mostly consumer electronics.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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!!! Saving History From The Dumpster!
These pages are dedicated to preserving a historical record of
broadcast equipment. Others are doing an excellent job in recording
other aspects of the history of broadcasting. As we find them, we'll
add links to them. This site consists of scanned manuals and catalogs
of broadcast equipment. This page [started in
2002|https://web.archive.org/web/20020205095757/http://www.hallikainen.org/history/equipment/].In
October 2005, the site was changed from hand coded HTML to a wiki. In
June 2014, this was migrated to a new server and an updated wiki code
set. In September 2015, the wiki was again moved to another server (a
virtual private server at 1&1 running Centos). In August 2021, the
wiki was moved again, this time to Contabo running Alma Linux. Because
of severe issues with wiki spam, only registered users can edit the
pages.
If you would like to register so you can edit pages and upload files,
please email me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org). If you have a scan
you'd like posted, please [mail it to
me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org], and I'll post it.
<?plugin CreateToc ?>
! Broadcast Equipment Manuals
* [Accurate Sound Corporation] - Supplier of tape recording equipment
from various manufacturers.
* [Advanced Research & Technology]
* [Altec]
* [Amalgamated Wireless (Australiasia) Ltd.] (AWA)- Formed from
Marconi and Telefunken interests before the First World War to resolve
patent difficulties. Partly government owned, it provided Australia's
coastal wireless services and overseas radio links. AWA had close
links to RCA & Britsh Marconi. A lot of its domestic and professional
products were closely patterned on RCA designs.
* [American Data] division of Airpax Electronics
* [American Electronic Laboratories] (AEL) - Transmitter manufacturer
in the 1970s.
* AmperexElectronicCorporation - Manufacuter of vacuum tubes
* [Ampex] manufactured audio and video tape recorders.
* [Amperite] time delay relays
* [Anton Electronic Laboratories] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Aphex Systems Limited]
* [Andrew Corporation]
* [Arrakis Systems, Inc]
* [Audio Arts]
* [ATI] - Audio Technolgies Incorporated
* [Auditron|Upload:AudioTron.pdf] - Flyer for the ~AudioTron vacuum
tube. About 1915-1916.
* [Auditronics]
* [Autogram]
* [Automated Broadcast Controls]
* [Bauer Electronics Corporation]
* [Belar Electronics Laboratory] - Modulation monitors.
http://www.belar.com
* [Bell Telephone Laboratories]
* [Bext]
* [Bird Electronic Corporation] - RF wattmeters, etc.
* [Bosch] - Robert Bosch Corporation, Video Equipment Division
* [Broadcast Audio]
* [Broadcast Electronics]
* [Broadcast Television Systems]
* [Broadcast Tools]
* [Burk Technology]
* [Byer Industries] - Australian post WWII manufacturer of tape and
disc recording and replay equipment.
* [California Microwave|Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [CBS Labs]
* [CCA]
* [Circuit Research Laboratories]
* [Coastcom]
* [Clear-Com]
* [Collins Radio], including Rockwell Collins
* [Comtech Antenna Corporation]
* [Continental Electronics]
* [Consolidated Electronic Industries] - (CEI) Australian Open Reel
and Cartridge Tape Machine manufacturer
* [Crown] - Audio amplifiers, crossovers, etc.
* [CSI]
* [Cutting Edge Technologies]
* [Dana Electronics]
* [Data Systems Design]
* [Dayton Industrial]
* [dbx]
* DeltaElectronics - Manufacturer of broadcast test and other
broadcast equipment
* [Dolby Laboratories]
* [Dorrough Electronics] - http://www.dorrough.com, audio processors,
loudness meters.
* [Dumont]
* [Eimac|EimacDivisionOfVarian] - Manufacturer of high power vacuum
tubes
* [Electronics Research, Inc.] - FM antennae
* [Electrovoice]
* [Energy-Onix] - Tramsmitters
* [Engineering Services] - FM antennae
* [ESE]
* [Extel] teleprinters
* [Federated Purchaser] - Catalogue from a Wholesale house supplying
independant Radio Repair Businesses. 1936 catalogue.
* [Fidelipac] - Audio tape cartridges and machines
* [Frese and Kaping] - The Audio Pilot
* GatesAir - Broadcast transmitters. See [~GatesAir web
site|https://www.gatesair.com/], GatesRadioCompany, and [Harris
Corporation - Broadcast Division]
* GatesRadioCompany - Manufacturer of broadcast equipment. See also
[Harris Corporation |http://www.broadcast.harris.com] and GatesAir
* GeneralElectric
* GeneralRadio - Manufacturer of test equipment
* [Gentner]
* [Gorman-Redlich]
* [Hallicrafters]
* [Hallikainen And Friends|HallikainenAndFriends] - Manufacturer of
audio and telemetry equipment
* [Harman Kardon]
* [Harris Corporation - Broadcast Division] - See also
GatesRadioCompany and http://www.broadcast.harris.com .
* [Heathkit]
* [Hewlett Packard]
* [Hollyanne]
* [Howe Technology|HoweTech]
* [Hughey & Phillips]
* [IGM] - Program automation
* [Inovonics]
* [IRC] - Passive components
* [ITA]
* [ITC] - International Tapetronics Corp - Cartridge Recorder/Players
* [Jampro Antenna]
* [Jennings]
* [E F Johnson|EfJohnson]
* [Kenwood]
* [Kyocera]
* [Langevin]
* [Larcan] including TTC
* [LPB]
* [Magnecord]
* [Machlett Laboratories] - Manufacturer of vacuum tubes
* [Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company]
* [Marantz]
* [Marti Electronics, Inc.] - RPU, STL, and remote control
* [McIntosh] Audio power amplifiers
* McMartin
* [Microcon] - FM Composite Stereo Processor
* [Microwave Radio Corporation]
* [Modulation Sciences]
* MoseleyAssociatesInc - Manufacturer of remote control, STL, TRL, and
other broadcast equipment. See http://www.moseleysb.com/mb/
* [Motorola]
* [Moulic Specialties Co.] - Tape cartridge machines. Appears to be
predecessor to [Sonomag Corporation]
* [Mullard] - Manufacturer of electronic valves
* [Multronics] - high power inductors and RF contactors
* [National] - Manufacturer of receivers
* [NBC] - NBC designed some of its own equipment. A small collection
is detailed here.
* NemsClarke - Manufacturer of field strength meters and antenna
monitors
* [Neotek] audio consoles
* [Orban]
* [Otari] magnetic tape recorders
* [Pacific Recorders and Engineers]
* [Panasonic]
* [Philips]
* [Potomac Instruments]
* [Presto] disk recording equipment
* [Pultec]
* [QEI]
* [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Radix]
* [RAMSA|Panasonic]
* [Raytheon]
* [Revox]
* [RCA]
* [Russco]
* [Rust Industrial Company, Inc.]
* [Sam's Photofact]
* [Scala] antennae
* [Schafer Automation]
* [Scully] Audio tape equipment
* [SMC] or Sonomag Corporation - Program automation
* [Sparta Electronics]
* [Standard Electronics] division of [Radio Engineering Laboratories]
* [Standart Tape Laboratory] - Audio alignment tapes
* [Standard Telephones & Cables. Australia]
* [Studer]
* [Sony]
* [Straight Wire Audio]
* [ Studer International AG]
* [Symmetrix]
* [Taber Manufacturing and Engineering Company] - Audio tape head
design, manufacture, service. See also [Standard Tape Laboratory]
* [Tapecaster]
* [Teac]
* [Technics] (Panasonic)
* [Tektronix]
* [Teletronix Engineering Company]
* [Telfax] Phone remote mixers also sold by Marti and BE
* [Tentel]
* [Tepco] FM translators
* [Texar] division of [Gentner]
* [TFT, Inc.] (Time & Frequency Technology, Inc.) - Frequency and
modulation monitors, remote control, EAS.
* [Thompson-CSF]
* [TTC|Larcan]
* [3M]
* [Trimax] division of L M Ericsson Pty Ltd (Australia) - Manufacturer
of transformers.
* [United Transformer Corporation]
* [UREI]
* [Victoreen Instrument Company] - Supplier of radiological monitors
for civil defense. Broadcast stations ended up with these in their
government supplied fallout shelters.
* [Warehouse Sound|Upload:harold/WarehouseSound.pdf] Professional
Products Group catalog. Warehouse Sound was based here in San Luis
Obispo. They were located in an old railroad warehouse ("Railroad
Square") and sold mail order home stereo equipment (and professional
products). They were quite successful during the days of Fair Trade
laws, where manufacturers were allowed to set the retail prices of
their products. These were generally state laws and did not apply to
interstate sales, which many mail order sales were. Warehouse Sound
was sold a little before the disappearance of the Fair Trade Laws.
This is the 1974 Professional Products catalog. It runs 610MB, so be
patient! Another catalog is available
[here|https://imgur.com/r/audiophile/xN3FY].
* Cliff Branch, one of the founders of Warehouse Sound, writes about
it
[here|http://americanmadestory.com/03_no_fear_of_failure/index.html]
* [Rolling Stone Article on Warehouse
Sound|http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-to-get-hi-fied-a-hundred-miles-from-nowhere-19770908]
* [Wegener Communications]
* WesternElectric and the Bell System Journals because they relate to
broadcasting 1922-1983 and the history of communications. SBA
* [Westinghouse]
* [Wheatstone Corporation]
! [Historic Papers]
Papers by the people who made broadcasting possible. A collection of
papers on technology. Quite a few early papers on AM, FM, and TV.
! [Photo Gallery|http://bh.hallikainen.org/gallery/]
Contributed photos of historic equipment and installations.
! [Station Histories]
Contributed station histories and links to others.
! Other Manual Archives
* [American Radio
History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Equipment_Catalogs_Master_Page.htm]
- Extensive collection of catalogs an manuals back to 1933.
* [Audio Sharing|http://www.audiosharing.com/archive/archive.htm] - An
archive of audio equipment manuals including some used in broadcast
and film.
* [Australian Professional Audio
Equipment|http://www.oneillassociates.com.au/~poneill/] - Originally
the purpose of this page is to document professional audio recording
devices manufactured in Australia. The main focus is on professional
reel to reel magnetic tape recorders but other recording devices such
as tape cartridge machines, magnetic drum recorders, disc cutting and
replay equipment are also covered. The collection inclues equipment,
manuals, advertising material and accessories including mic preamps,
line amps, mixers, power amps, limiters, volume indicators, program
failure alarms, etc. The two criteria for inclusion are that the
equipment was made in Australia and that it was used in the recording
or broadcasting industry or was used in a commercial setting such as a
lift announcement unit.
* [BAMA|http://bama.sbc.edu/index.html] - Boat Anchor Manual Archive
* [BAMA Mirror|http://bama.edebris.com/]
* [BAMA List of Other Sites|http://bama.sbc.edu/free.htm] with free
manuals
* [AA4DF|http://www.aa4df.net] manuals for sale with some
[free|http://home.comcast.net/~aa4df02/download.htm]. Manuals for
consumer, broadcast, communications, and test equipment.
* [AC6V List|http://ac6v.com/manuals.htm] of ham radio manual
suppliers
* [Broadcast Documents|http://www.broadcastdocuments.com/] -
collection of manual photocopies for sale
* http://www.coutant.org/ - Extensive microphone archive and several
other pieces of equipment.
* [DIY Audio|http://www.pmillett.com/technical_books_online.htm]
Technical Books Online. Extensive collection of tube manuals and books
on design and troubleshooting.
* [Electron Ballet|http://www.electronballet.com/] - Computer and test
equipment manuals and more.
* [KO4BB|http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manuals] - Large
collection of test equipment manuals and application notes. Some
broadcast manuals.
* [Library of Congress Vintage Manuals, Brochures, Catalogs, &
Reports|https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-plan/tools-and-resources/vintage-manuals-brochures-catalogs-and-reports/]
- Extensive manual collection and history of recorded sound
* [Nostalgia Air|http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/] - Antique and
vintage radio info
* nvhrbiblio.nl - Amazing collection of early books, magazines, and
schematics
* [Books|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/boek/]
* [Magazines|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/biblio/tijdschrift/]
* [Schematics|https://nvhrbiblio.nl/schema/]
* [Purple Audio Schematic
Library|http://www.purpleaudio.com/resource/pdflib.html] - Schematics
and manuals for Altec, Ampex, CBS Labs, Datamix, Gates, Langevin,
Pultec, RCA, Spectra Sonics, Sony, Telefunken, 3M, UREI
* [eService Info|http://www.eserviceinfo.com] - Service manuals for
computers, test equipment, consumer equipment in rar format
* http://www.ebaman.com/ - Various contributed manuals for
electronics, computers, home electronics, motors, etc.
* [Liberated Manuals|http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/] - Extensive
collection of military manuals.
* [PDF Manuals|http://www.pdf-manuals.com/] - Tektronix test equipment
manuals for sale.
* [One Electron Archive|http://www.one-electron.com/Archives.html] -
Extensive collection of manuals and vacuum tube data.
* [Radio Era|http://www.radioera.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=2] -
Over 150,000 original factory instruction and service manuals from
1915 - 1985
* [Radio Gear Guide|http://www.radiogearguide.com/] - Links to
manufacturer provided manual pages.
* [Radio Papers|http://www.radiopapers.net/] - Manuals and papers from
broadcast equipment manufacturers and consultants.
* [Rider's Perpetual
Troubleshooters|http://hertzmail.com/Riders-vols/] - Receiver
schematics and service info for 1920s through 1954.
* [SafeManuals|http://safemanuals.com/] - Consumer product manuals.
* [A. G. Tannenbaum|https://www.slimandtone.com/] - Manuals for sale
* [Star City Radio
Tools|http://plymouthcolony.net/starcityeng/pages/manuals.html] -
Manuals scanned by Dale Cook. He has also provided several manuals for
this site. He does a great job cleaning up the images.
* [Steam Powered Radio|http://www.steampoweredradio.com/index.html] -
There are eight sections of interest. The "Radio Stations", "Manuals",
and "Catalogs" sections all pretty much deal with radio (sometimes TV)
broadcasting items. "Collections" contains pages for individuals who
have contributed large amounts of material. "Audio" contains some
interesting audio clips collected over the years. "Components" is a
collection of parts catalogs, data sheets and manuals of older items
you might run across but can't find data onThe "Other Stuff" section
is a collection of items I find of interest. This includes old
magazines, catalogs, ham radio stuff, railroading or anything else
that strikes my fancy. The "People" section is about, well, some of
the people who have contributed to the site.
* [Technician's File
Cabinet|http://www.one-electron.com/filing_cab.html] - Attempt to
bring together in one place links to service and technical information
for electronic equipment. Includes sections for consumer audio, pro
audio, old radios, ham radio, test equipment, military electronics,
and transformers.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Teletype Manuals|http://hertzmail.com/TTY/] and other info related
to Teletype teleprinters.
* [Teletype Model 35
ASR|https://www.blunham.com/Misc/ASR35/index.html]
* [Transcom Corporation|http://www.fmamtv.com] has manuals for sale.
Manuals include
[transmitters|http://www.fmamtv.com/mantransmitters.html] and
[exciters|http://www.fmamtv.com/manexciters.html]
* [Northland Radio|http://www.lks.net/~radio/Pages/manuals.htm] has
quite a few manuals with copies available for sale and a few free for
download
* [Tube Books|http://tubebooks.org/] - Collection of vintage
engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other obsolete
information. Has an extensive collection of text books on vacuum tube
electronics.
* [Vintage Manuals|http://www.vintagemanuals.com/] - over 16,000
vintage radio, audio and test equipment manuals.
* [Waltzing Bear Schematic
Archive|http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Schematics.html] -
Schematics and data for AKG, Altec, Ampex, API, CBS, Dolby, Gates,
Jensen, MCI, Neve, Orban, Otari, Pacific Recorders and Engineering,
Quad Eight, RCA, Sennheiser, Shure, ~SpectraSonics, Spectrum, SSL,
Studer, Telefunken, Trident, Urei, UTC, Valley, Western Electric, and
others.
! Other Broadcast History Sites
* [American Radio History|http://www.americanradiohistory.com] -
Extensive archive of broadcast publications, including Broadcasting
Magazine, Broadcasting Yearbook, Radio Daily, RCA Broadcast News, and
more.
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://antiqueradios.com/resources/Radio_History/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/resources/
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/superhet/ - Who invented the
superhet?
* http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml - Magazine, manuals,
and more!
* Audio Processing History
* [Audio Processing: A
Perspective|http://www.omniaaudio.com/tech/retrospective.htm] - Frank
Foti describes the history of audio processing for broadcast.
* [A Short History of Transmission Audio Processing in the United
States|http://www.bext.com/histproc.htm] by Robert Orban
* http://www.amfone.net - Restore and put that old broadcast
transmitter to work as an amateur radio transmitter!
* http://www.broadcastpioneers.com of Philadelphia - invaluable...a
trove of early TV memories for Delaware Valley nostalgiaholics.
* [David Gleason|http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm] has a
very nice collection of Broadcasting Magazines (1935-1949) and
Broadcasting Yearbook (1944-1979).
* [Early Radio History|http://earlyradiohistory.us] - Thomas H.
White's _very_ extensive site covering 1897 through 1927
* [California Historical Radio
Society|http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com] exchanges ideas and
information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with
emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and
display of early equipment.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* http://www.coutant.org/ LOTS of information on LOTS of microphones.
Also, some manuals on old broadcast equipment.
* [Drake Chenault|http://www.drakechenault.org]
* Donna Halper's History of Broadcasting
[Links|http://www.donnahalper.com/History.html] - includes The Story
of Jewish Comedians in America, The Short Course by Donna Halper,
Donna Halper and The Rush Discovery Story, Halper's History of Radio -
Old Time Radio, African Americans and Early Radio by Donna Halper,
Milestones of the Radio Age, Radio in 1939 - Halper's History of Radio
- Old Time Radio, Broadcasting History Articles by Elizabeth ~McLeod,
John Sheppard III, Some History by Donna Halper, A Radio First in
Vinton Iowa by Donna Halper, Rembering the Ladies, A Salute to the
Women of Early Radio.
* [Early Radio|http://www.durenberger.com/resources/ER.htm] -
Extensive collection of documents at http://www.durenberger.com/ .
* [Edwin Howard
Armstrong|http://www.fathom.com/course/10701020/sessions.html] - FM
Inventor - History at Columbia University.
* [Armmstrong Archive
Blog|https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/armstrongpapers/] - Columbia
University is catalogging Armstrong's papers. Ideally they'll scan
them andmake them available. Meanwhile, tidbits are available here.
* [FCC Audio Division Collected Engineering
Documents|http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/engrser.html] contains an
extensive collection of documents showing the history of radio
broadcasting. These include documents on early AM and FM broadcasting,
and the Radio Service Bulletins from 1915.
* [FCC Radio Pioneers|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/] - The
Ideas that Made Radio Possible, The Power that Made Radio Realistic,
The Quality that Made Radio Popular
* [FM Broadcasting Chronology|http://jeff560.tripod.com/chronofm.html]
- This page shows some of the events in the early history of FM
broadcasting in the United States. Note that apex stations referred to
on this page used amplitude modulation on VHF frequencies; many of
them evolved into FM stations. For dates involving the earliest
stations, see also the "earliest FM stations" page at this website.
* [Gates Harris History|http://gates-harris-history.com/] - Great
archive of Gates newsletters back to 1935
* [Bob Groome SOB Site|http://www.bobgroome.us/BobGroome/Welcome.html]
- Extensive schematic and photo collection.
* [History of American
Broadcasting|http://jeff560.tripod.com/broadcasting.html] by Jeff
Miller. Many articles and an extensive list of links to other
broadcast history sites.
* [Bob Mayben|http://www.bobmayben.com/] has a nice collection of
photographs of older equipment, much of it restored to like new
condition.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience.
The original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas,
owner of the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto,
contacted Wes Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to
build a museum dedicated to preserving the history of commercial
broadcasting in Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB
signed on the air in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve
the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the
equipment they used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is
currently on the web only.
* [oldradio.com|http://www.oldradio.com] - Oldradio.com's mission is
to find and share information about the pioneer broadcast radio
stations and current industry issues, as well as links and references
to other locations containing accurate materials on broadcasting. The
emphasis is on professional broadcasting, but we can "wander" a bit
from time to time. The goal is to shed light on your questions, and
clear up some myths.
* [On The Air|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHtZr_xsT8] - 1937 film
describing how radio works.
* http://hawkins.pair.com/radio.html - Jim Hawkins Radio and Broadcast
Technology Page. Photo tours and histories of many statons.
* [Radio Lovers|http://www.radiolovers.com/] - audio archives of old
radio programming.
* [Old Time Radio Catalog|http://otrcat.com/] - EXTENSIVE catalog of
old radio broadcast recordings for sale.
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org
* http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/publications.php?page=books.html
- Books including one on Armstrong and one on ~DeForest
* http://www.radioheritage.net - We're sharing the stories of Pacific
radio. More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home
here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered
islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian
seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.
* [UK Radio and TV Transmitters|http://tx.mb21.co.uk/]
* [IEEE Oral History
Site|http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories.html]
- Interviews with those involved in the development of radio,
television, radar, the internet, etc.
* [The EBS Accident|http://stlradio.net/pages/ebsaccident.htm] - In
1971, the wire services carried an Emergency Action Notification
requiring normal broadcasting to cease immediately...
* [GGN Information|http://www.ggninfo.com] - Early commercial FM and
Television broadcasting facilities from mid 1930s to late 1970s.
Concentrates on New Hampshire, major stations in New England and the
Northeast, as well as other selected early broadcasters.
* [Radio Links|http://www.radiolinks.net/History/] - LOTS of links to
broadcast oriented sites. The history page links to several dozen
broadcast history sites.
* [Reel Radio|http://www.reelradio.com] Top 40 Radio Repository air
check collection.
* [The Roots of Radio run deep in
Philadelphia|http://beradio.com/features/radio_roots_radio_run/] -
Tells the evoloution of several broadcast manufacturers, including
RCA, GE, CCA, ITA, Ampex, Comark, Belar, AEL, QEI, CSI, LPB,
Wilkinson, ATI, Dielectric, Ampro,
* John Schneider's [San Francisco Radio
History|http://users.adams.net/~jfs/] - Very nice collection of
station histories.
* [Snugglebunny|http://www.snugglebunny.us/] page by Alan & Sharon
Kline. Includes radio magazines from the 1920s forward, links to
camera tube datasheets, links to historic broadcast patents, etc.
* [The Radio Historian|http://www.theradiohistorian.org/index.htm] -
John Schneider's extensive collection of documents. This web site was
created to be a non-commercial repository of historical information
and photos documenting the early years of radio broadcasting in the
United States. A substantial portion of the site is dedicated to the
history of broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* Video Park [Restoration of Old Broadcast
Equipment|http://www.videopark.com/oldbroadcast.htm] - Photographs of
very nicely restored broadcast equipment
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
* [Vintage Broadcast Microphones|http://www.k-bay106.com/mics.htm] -
Private collection of early broadcast microphones, related
documentation and collector/historian resources.
* Video - Found video about radio
* [NBC Presents “Behind Your Radio Dial”
(1940)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K0fimMtyt8] - Describes
various aspects of electronics including broadcast radio and
television, manufacturing, receiver repair, public address, and
maritime communications. Concentrates on the training required and job
opportunities.
* [How Radio Broadcasting Works
(1937)|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQOSb39gqg] - Describes a bit
of the technology involved in getting sound from the studio to your
radio. One interesting image is how amplification works. They show the
image of a waveform, then show it amplified. But, the amplified
waveform appears to be just an enlarged image of the original, in both
the X and Y axis. So, the amplification appears to make the amplitude
larger and the frequency lower.
! Television
* [Antique
Television|http://www.telecompricer.com/article/Antique-Televisions.html]
- a brief page, but has several links that look good.
* [The Old CATV Equipment
Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.blogspot.com/] - A place to
post photos of ancient cable TV equipment, with appropriate captions.
* [Cartrivision|http://www.angelfire.com/alt/cartrivision/] - The
first consumer videocasette machine in 1972.
* [Chalk Hill Educational
Media|http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/index.htm] has a nice
collection of historic radio and television info.
* [DuMont Television
Network|http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm] - In the
late 1940's and early 1950's, ~DuMont was America's fourth television
network.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [Farnovision|http://www.farnovision.com/] - Philo T. Farnsworth,
inventor of television
* [FCC|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/] Television History pages.
* [History of UHF
Television|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html]
- Excellent collection of artifacts from [Histor's
Dumpster|http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/]
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Living Test Patterns: The Models Who Calibrated Color
TV|http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/miss-color-tv/396266/]
- The white women known in the 1950s as “Miss Color TV” reinforced
longstanding hierarchies of gender and race that were built into
generations of technologies. The article also details the battle
between CBS and RCA for the color television standard.
* [Narrow Band Television Association|http://www.nbtv.org/] - Early
television, especially mechanically scanned.
* [North Beach Media|http://northbeachmedia.com/Production.html] has a
nice collection of photos of vintage television equipment. Scroll down
the page to the photo gallery, then select a "vintage" area in the
drop down menu.
* [NTSC-TV|http://www.ntsc-tv.com/] has extensive technical
information on the US analog television transmission system and its
development.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] The 'Oldboys' web site began in
1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so it
seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Old CATV Equipment Museum|http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/] -
Vast documentation from the beginnings of community antenna
television.
* [Quadruplex Park|http://www.lionlamb.us/quadpark.html] - Quadruplex
park is the home page for those who are interested in collecting
electronic equipment used in broadcasting. It is especially for those
who collect the more obscure, unusual, and sometimes just plain
hard-to-deal-with things, such as large format VTR's, film chains,
switchers, studio cameras, terminal equipment, and even transmitters.
* [Ed Reitan's Color Television History|http://novia.net/~ereitan/]
* [Television Tape|http://www.televisiontape.tv/] - Discover the magic
of television production on tape, as compared to film.
* [historytv.net|http://www.historytv.net/] - Early television images,
including 1929 broadcast of Felix the Cat
* Tech Notes
[history|http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/history_of.htm] and
[biography|http://www.tech-notes.tv/Biographies/biographies_and_personal_notes.htm
pages]. Television oriented including history of translators, TV
channel 1, studio equipment, telecine, satellite, video recording,
cable television, etc. Biographies include Klaus Landsberg, Harry
Lubcke, John Logie Baird, Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, Paul Gottlieb
Nipkow, Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi, and Charles Hallinan.
* [tvhistory.tv|http://www.tvhistory.tv] - The first 75 years of TV
* [Chuck Pharis Video|http://www.pharis-video.com/] - Chuck has an
excellent collection of vintage television broadcast equipment... and
radio too!
* [Videotape Systems Theory|http://www.lionlamb.us/quad/theory.html] -
Has a nice history and photographs of the development of videotape.
* [W3XK -- America's first television
station|http://online.sfsu.edu/~hl/cfj/cfj.W3XK.html] - A scrapbook of
postcards, letters, and QSL cards collected by station owner, Charles
Francis Jenkins.
! Cinema
* [3-D Film Archive|http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/home] - Great film
technology history site. Besides 3D, has documentation on wide screen,
stereo sound, etc. Largely ads for movies featuring these technologies
plus ads and articles on the technology.
* [Audio Engineering
Society|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/motionpicture1.html]
* [Backstage at the Fox
1929|http://backstagefox1929.blogspot.com/search/label/PART%20III%3A%20TALKING%20PICTURE%20PROJECTION]
- Extensive information on early sound for motion pictures as found at
the Atlanta Fox Theater with 4,462 seats.
* [New Technology in Cinema|Upload:harold/New Technology in
Cinema.pdf] - Presentation by Harold Hallikainen to Retired Active Men
on 6/16/15.
! Amateur Radio
* [Luxorion|http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm] -
Extensive history of amateur radio.
* [Ham Radio History|http://w2pa.net/HRH/] - Extensive history of
amateur radio starting in 1886.
! Maritime Radio
* [American Marconi|http://www.american-marconi.org/] - The American
Marconi Foundation is a non-profit education and research organization
dedicated to the continuation of the work of Nikola Tesla, Oliver
Heaviside, Proteus Steinmetz, Ernst Alexanderson and all the others
that contributed to the advancement of electrical engineering. In
particular, the study of electrical engineering with regards to the
development of the New Brunswick and Bolinas radio frequency
electrical substations and future technologies latent in their
design.
* [Wireless Giant of the
Pacific|http://www.american-marconi.org/Downloads/assets/Livingston%20Pacific%20Wireless.pdf]
- A History of the Marconi and RCA Radio Stations on the Point Reyes
Peninsula
* [Inland Marine Radio History
Archive|http://www.imradioha.org/index.htm] - Collecting, preserving
and presenting the history of radio's use on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River system
* [Marine Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Radiotelegraph ship to shore
* [Maritime Radio Stations of the World|http://coastradio.intco.biz/]
- Nice collection of information on stations throughout the world.
Numerous videos. Links to other maritime radio information (Radio
Operators Association, etc.).
* http://www.marconicalling.com/ - The Guglielmo Marconi archive
including MANY historic documents, such as his early patents, Titanic
communications, and MUCH more!
* [Titanic Radio Page|http://www.hf.ro/] - Very nice site including
photos and a transcript of Titanic's distress communications.
! MilitaryRadio
Descriptions of military radio equipment and networks.
! Museums
This section tries to identify technology museums you can actually
visit.
* [California Historical Radio
Society|https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/], Alameda CA. The
California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit educational
organization founded in 1974 to promote the preservation, restoration,
research and publication of early radio and broadcasting history. CHRS
publishes an excellent journal.
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org/], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Early Television Foundation &
Museum|http://www.earlytelevision.org/] in Ohio. Site has nice images
of televisions back to 1928. Has images from a Baird mechanical
receiver. Lotsa stuff!
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Maritime Radio Historical Society|http://www.radiomarine.org/] -
Morse radiotelegraph station. Transmitter site in Bolinas CA. Receive
site in Pt. Reyes Station CA.
From "Who We Are" - Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio
squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inherited the
last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off
the air but it was an intact time capsule.
We made the restoration of KPH to operational status our life's
work. That was back in 1999 - the year the last commercial Morse code
message in the U.S. was supposedly sent.
Through the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore we
were given permission to begin our project of restoration,
documentation and operation. And we've never looked back.
As True Believers in the importance of our maritime radio heritage
we have tried to research and document every aspect of the field. Our
area of specialization is the coast stations, ships and companies of
the west coast of the United States. But anything to do with maritime
radio anywhere in the world is of interest to us.
Dedicated MRHS volunteers are busy with the preservation,
restoration and repair of the historic artifacts with which we have
been entrusted. That work is the foundation on which the real goal of
our project rests. That goal is to assure that the culture,
techniques and traditions of the men and women who came before us are
not forgotten. We feel that the best way to achieve that goal is
through actual on the air operations.
We look forward to visits by fellow True Believers in the importance
of the preservation of our radio heritage.
* [Modesto Radio Museum|http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/] - The
Modesto Radio Museum foundation was formed in 2004 comprised of
current and past men and women with local broadcasting experience. The
original idea for the museum came in 2004, when Harry Pappas, owner of
the original KTRB property on Norwegian Ave in Modesto, contacted Wes
Page, Cecil Lynch and Cal Purviance with the idea to build a museum
dedicated to preserving the history of commercial broadcasting in
Modesto, and the area, beginning in 1933 when KTRB signed on the air
in Modesto. The goal was to increase and preserve the knowledge,
understanding and appreciation of their efforts and the equipment they
used. Due to economic conditions, the museum is currently on the web
only.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as an
educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry. Also at http://r2rtx.org/ .
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] (Milton Keynes,
UK) is dedicated to showing the development of computing in its
broadest sense from the pioneering war time efforts that resulted in
Colossus, to the products and systems we use today. The museum is part
of the whole Bletchley Park experience, and all visitors to the park
can visit the museum free of charge when it is open. The museum houses
the Colossus computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking
activities performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors'
experience by continuing the history of the development of computing
from the 1940s to the present day.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/], Glendale AZ - A very extensive
collection of physical and online resources.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Texas Broadcast Museum|https://texasbroadcastmuseum.com/], Kilgore
TX. When you visit the Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, TX, you’ll
be amazed at the vast amount of memorabilia and vintage equipment
we’ve collected over a lifetime. From the TV cameras and televisions
to the radio equipment and vintage microphones, plus much more, it’s
a fun and nostalgic walk down memory lane. There’s even a working
radio studio where you can get a feel for what it must have been like
to be a disc jockey in the past.
* [Western Historic Radio Museum|http://www.radioblvd.com/] - Vintage
Radio Equipment and Memorabilia, 1910 through the 1950s, Virginia
City, Nevada
! #[Police Radio]
* [Early Motorola Land
Mobile|http://www.mbay.net/~wb6nvh/Motadata.htm] - History of Motorola
mobile radio equipment, largely used by police agencies. Includes
links to pages on California Highway Patrol radio history.
* [Los Angeles Police
Radio|https://web.archive.org/web/20150624074531/http://harrymarnell.net/kma367.htm]
and
[KGPL|https://web.archive.org/web/20150525052156/http://harrymarnell.net/elysian.htm],
Elysian Park transmitter site (1931)
* [Broadcast News Number 1, October
1931.|Upload:RcaBroadcastNewsOct1931.pdf] - description of a police
radio system. Original courtesy of Tom Friedman. 8.756M
! Recording (audio, video, etc.)
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_recording_and_reproduction]
article on sound recording.
*
[Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video#Recording_formats_before_video_tape]
notes on video recording.
* [Ampex Virtual Museum|http://recordist.com/ampex/] - Dedicated to
preserving the history of the most important manufacturer of magnetic
recorders, the Ampex Virtual Museum provides online access to Manuals,
Schematics, and Service Bulletins; Repair, Maintenance, and
Modification Tips; Parts and Repair Sources; Catalogs, Sales
Brochures, and Similar Literature; Pictures of Ampexes (mostly);
Biographies of some Ampex Mailing List subscribers; Pictures of Ampex
Mailing List parties; Ampex history & Other Historical Information;
Audio Clips of Interviews with Former Ampex Employees; Alignment
Instructions; Links of Interest to Ampex Users; Obituaries;
Illustrations Accompanying Dale Manquen's Posts on Flutter; Literature
Scanning Project
* [Audio Engineering Society History
Commitee|http://www.aes.org/aeshc/] - The AES Historical Committee is
an international forum open to all who wish to investigate and learn
about the achievements of those pioneers whose innovative ideas and
inventions have contributed to audio's rich past. Dedicated to the
preservation of over a century of audio history, the Committee is
developing a broad-based history of audio engineering and the audio
industry. AES membership is encouraged but not required.
* [Audio Engineering Society Oral History
Project|http://www.aes.org/historical/store/oralhistory/] - Oral
history DVDs available for sale.
* [Blattnerphone|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Blattner] -
Adaptation of the wire recorder that used a steel tape instead of a
steel wire for magnetic recording.
* [Butoba|http://www.butoba.net/homepage/butoba.html] - A 1950s
portable tape recorder with wind-up transport. Early units were vacuum
tube with 1.4V A battery and 90V B battery. Later units were
transistor based. All used wind-up "clockwork" transport yielding long
run time with low battery drain.
* [Capacitance Electronic
Discs|http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html] (RCA Selctavision).
A play only videodisc system that used grooved discs (like phonograph
records). However, instead of varying the depth and horizontal
position of the groove, a conductive underlayer varied in height under
the groove. The varying distance between the stylus and the conductive
underlayer varied the capacity between the stylus and the underlayer.
This is similar to a very high frequency capacitor (condensor)
microphone.
* [ In Memoriam, Harold
Lindsay|https://www.aes.org/aeshc/jaes.obit/JAES_V30_9_PG691.pdf] -
Designer of the Ampex 200, the first Ampex tape recorder
* [History of Tape
Recording|http://web.archive.org/web/20060316145954/http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_recording.htm]
- Starts with Mullin's discovery of the German Magnetophones, the
Ampex audio machines, the development of videotape, and audio tape
cartridges.
* [History of Magnetic Recording in the United States,
1888-1978|https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/24235/morton_david_l_199512_phd_438003.pdf.txt]
- The history of magnetic recording is an important subject which has
not received much scholarly attention. This study uses secondary
historical sources in addition to manuscripts, technical documents,
interviews, photographs, examinations of artifacts, and descriptive
statistics to draw together a history of magnetic sound recording in
the United States.
* [~LabGuy's World|http://www.labguysworld.com/] - EXTENSIVE
collection of consumer video tape recorders with excellent links to
other video sites.
* [Museum of Magnetic Sound
Recording|http://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/] - The mission of
the nonprofit Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording is to create and
maintain a public museum in Austin, Texas dedicated to the research,
acquisition, restoration and preservation of vintage magnetic sound
recording devices, their documentation and history, and to serve as
an educational resource for those interested in the sound recording
industry.
* [Old Boys|http://www.vtoldboys.com/] - The 'Oldboys' web site began
in 1998 which was the 40th 'birthday' of videotape in the BBC, and so
it seemed appropriate to commemorate this with a small collection of
pictures from the various decades. Since then it has expanded somewhat
to over 1500 pages and 2400 pictures and, in November 2008, we
celebrated our tenth birthday.
* [Phantom Productions Vintage Reel Tape Recorder Online
Museum|http://reel2reeltexas.com/] - In collecting our vintage
recorders, we have attempted to include pieces that had a significant
role in the development of audio recording. Our focus is primarily on
those reel to reel tape recorders that enabled musicians to hone their
craft. We felt it would be interesting to include some of the early
cylinder, disk and wire units, however, our main collection reflects
the recorders that first became available to musicians and "prosumers"
in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. So many innovations
assisted the musician to capture that unique sound. They included,
"sound with, and on sound," echo, and then came multi-tracking.
Essential to the recordings were the microphones and mixer, so we've
added some of those pieces as well. For perspective, we added reel to
reel pages in radio catalogs from the late '30's to the early '80's
and included tape recorder ads as well. We hope you enjoy our online
information. Take a look at our "Phantom Time Line" page also. You'll
see some of the audio and video units that were interesting benchmarks
of production development. It continues to evolve as we have time.
Enjoy!
* [Philips-Miller Film Recorder|http://www.orbem.co.uk/tapes/pm.htm] -
Variable width optical recording. The recording was made by using a
variable width "stylus" that was vertically modulated. As it dug
deeper into the film, the width of the opaque material on the film
that was cut away was increased. This is an interesting combination of
mechanical recording (like a standard phonograph) and optical playback
(the same as analog optical sound on photographic film.
* [Recording Technology
History|http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/notes.html] - Great
site hosted by UC San Diego. Traces sound and video recording from tin
foil cylinders, plastic disks, magnetic recording, and optical
recording. Has info about Webster Chicago. I have one of their wire
recorders. Also mentions Harold Lindsay of Ampex. Mr. Lindsay
installed the stereo in my parents' home. hh
* [RCA 45 RPM Record
Changer|http://www.downstairsrecords.com/about/rpm.html]
* [Sound and the
Story|http://www.archive.org/details/SoundAndTheS%20to%20enjoy] - 1956
video by RCA showing how a phonograph record is produced, from
recording to tape, cutting the disk, creation of molds and stampers,
pressing, packaging, and shipping.
* [Soundfan|http://www.soundfan.it/en/home_en.html] - Site devoted to
analog magnetic recording.
* [History of Magnetic
Recording|http://www.soundfan.it/en/history.html]
* [Vintage Cassette|http://www.vintagecassette.com/] - The independent
cassette deck resource With over 2000 vintage single cassette decks of
all brands from the 1970's until now.
! Telephone and Telegraph History
* [Any Lawful
Device|http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/carterfone-40-years.ars/1]
- A brief history of Carterphone and Hushaphone
* [AT&T Long Lines|http://long-lines.net/] - The Microwave Radio and
Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
* The Latest Word in Communications - ["Microwave" - New York - Boston
System
|http://www.microwaves101.com/downloads/1947_ATTs_First_Microwave_Radio_Route.pdf],
Long Lines Dept., Plant Division One. Describes the installation of
the New York to Boston 4GHz microwave system by AT&T Long Lines. The
link was covered with 8 hops. Posted at [microwaves
101|http://www.microwaves101.com], "your number-one source for
microwave information since the previous unenlightened century." For
fun, also see the [Microwave
Mortuary|http://www.microwaves101.com/content/microwavemortuary.cfm].
* [Baudot.net|http://baudot.net/] - Teletype Machines - 100 years of
Paper Tape and Teleprinters
* [Bell System Memorial|http://www.bellsystemmemorial.com]
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|https://archive.org/details/bstj-archives] at Internet
Archive
* [Cedar Knol Telephone & Telegraph
Company|http://www.voicenet.com/~pdwills/] - A Reconstruction of a
Typical Pennsylvania Railroad Wire Chief's Office along with other
examples of telephone technology.
* [Bruce Crawford Memorial Switching Documentation
Library|http://www.switchersquarterly.org/library.htm] - Extensive
telephone equipment documentation.
* [Car Phone|http://www.wb6nvh.com/Carphone.htm] - THE MOBILE
TELEPHONE IN BELL SYSTEM SERVICE, 1946-1993. These pages are a history
of the car telephone as used by the Bell System and its affiliates
from the beginnings in 1946 through the end of IMTS telephone product
production, although many IMTS car telephone radio systems continued
on the air through the late 1990's and some are still on the air in
Canada and Pennsylvania.
* [Electromagnetic
Telegraph|https://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/morse/morse.htm]- A nice
history of the telegraph.
* [ESS, The First
CO|https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/articles/succasunna-1965-the-wedding-of-phones-and-compu]
- Newspaper article about the first ESS1 CO in 1965. Links to some
videos including one by Western Electric on the ESS.
* [Evolution of the Dial Phone|http://www.arctos.com/dial/] traces the
history of the dial telephone from 1919 through 1965. Photos of a
bunch of telephones through history.
* [Central Office|http://www.thecentraloffice.com/] - Photos and brief
histories of US telco central offices.
* [Hang Up|https://vimeo.com/95554820] - A movie about New York
payphones.
* [History of Phone
Phreaking|http://www.historyofphonephreaking.org/index.php] - Contains
several articles on telephone signaling.
* [Independent Telecommunications Pioneer
Association|http://www.nationalitpa.com/index.html] - ITPA is the
volunteer organization created by and for the independent
telecommunications industry.Dedicated to community service, ITPA has
been serving the public on behalf of telecommunications companies for
over 95 years. ITPA represents over 9,000 telecommunications employees
and retirees nationwide. Today Pioneers continue to open exciting new
lines of communication and community service throughout the United
States.
* [ITU|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qv5xw4fsh8] - 1966 film about
the International Telecommunications Union
* [JKL Museum of Telephony|http://jklmuseum.com/] - The American
Museum of Telephony (AMoT), known familiarly as the JKL Museum, is
dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony.
* [Manufacture Discontinued|http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/] -
This site is dedicated to the study and appreciation of the telephones
of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, especially those made by the Western
Electric company for the Bell System in America. I'm Adam Forrest, and
I like telephones, especially the Western Electric telephones of the
fifties, sixties and seventies. Although I'm a computer programmer and
web designer now, I spent the bulk of my younger days learning about,
and then installing and repairing telephones and small PBXs. This site
is a collection of some of the things I enjoy looking at, I guess it's
sort of a telephone collector's blog. I hope you enjoy looking at
these phones too
* [Morse Code’s Vanquished Competitor: The Dial
Telegraph|https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/standards/morse-codes-vanquished-competitor-the-dial-telegraph]
- In 1842, French watchmaker Louis-François Breguet invented a
simpler to use but less efficient alternative
* [Museum of Communications|http://www.museumofcommunications.org/] in
Seattle Washington. Extensive collection of customer premises
equipment, central office equipment, and outside plant. More photos
available [here|http://www.privateline.com/Seattlemuseum/index.html].
* New York Times
* [Automatic Phones Soon To Work
Here|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F02E4DD1E3EEE3ABC4A52DFB5668389639EDE],
March 12, 1922. Describes the conversion of 1,000,000 phones in New
York City to dial operation. "While no telephone girls will lose their
positions because of the introduction of automatic machinery, the
force will eventually be reduced, but not so rapidly as the girls now
leave the service to get married or take other jobs"
* [Dial Phone System Meets Sunday
Test|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE],
October 16, 1922
* [New Telephones Please, 16 Seconds To Make
Connection|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEFD71E39E133A25754C1A9649D946395D6CF],
December 17, 1922
* [Automatic Phones Start
Saturday|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 8, 1922
* [Niagra Power May Come Here By
Radio|http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D02E5DE1139E133A2575BC0A9669D946395D6CF],
October 16, 1922. Vacuum tubes are replacing high frequency
alternators for wireless telegraph transmission. Describes the
introduction of water cooled tubes. Speculates that power may be
transmitted by radio instead of wires.
* [Panel Switchman's Photo
Stream|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/] - Extensive
collection of photos from the 1920s on. Shows manual switchboards,
step, crossbar, panel, and ESS.
[slideshow|http://www.flickr.com/photos/9479603@N02/show/]
* [Payphone Project|http://www.payphone-project.com/] - Photos and
stories about payphones. Also a payphone number database.
* [Pulse of the
World|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fu6-jrzOyM&feature=youtu.be] -
1924 Mackay System documentary. Great silent video showing operation
of the Mackay telegraph system. Shows land and undersea cable
installation and repair. Shows operators and a bunch of other great
stuff.
* [Pushbutton Calling with a Two-
Group Voice Frequency
Code|Upload:harold/dtmf_bell_labs.pdf], L. Schenker, Bell Labs
Technical Journal, January 1960. Described the design considerations
for DTMF (Touch Tone®) signalling.
* [Private Line Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/history.html] including POTS,
wireless, Bell Labs, exchange name history, party lines, Strowger
switches, early radio, radar, triode vacuum tube history, etc.
* [Phone Trips|http://www.wideweb.com/phonetrips/] - Extensive
recordings of the sounds heard during the progress of call completion
through various types of switches. Most recordings made in the 1960s
and 1970s.
* [Remember phone
books?|http://johngall.blogspot.com/2010/10/remember-phone-books.html]
- Nice collection of phonebook cover photographs.
* [RTTY Electronics|http://www.johnwhitney.com/misc/paul-rtty.htm] -
Where to get parts for your old Teletype!
* [Sam's Telecomm History
Links|http://www.samhallas.co.uk/histlink.htm] - Very extensive page
of links to sites devoted to telecom history.
* Mike Sandman's [telephone
history|http://www.sandman.com/telhist.html] page. Features old
telephone advertising and other nice info.
* [Strowger Switch|http://www.strowger.com/history.html] - The first
automatic telephone switch. Strowger switch patent
[447,918|http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0447918.pdf]
* [Strowger Appreciation Site|http://web.ukonline.co.uk/uax13/] - Site
dedicated to the sights and sounds of step exchanges. See especially
the bottom of the home page for audio recordings of various step
offices.
* http://www.telebeans.org/ - Telecom stuff for the Mid-Atlantic.
* [Telegram and Cable Company|https://www.telegramcableco.com/] - Send
a telegram today! Submit message over web site. It's printed on a
Teletype and mailed.
* [Telegraph|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tel/telhom.htm] - The
History of Telecommunications and Related Matters. An EXTENSIVE
history of the telegraph by [Dr James B.
Calvert|http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/] at [University of
Denver|http://mysite.du.edu].
* [Telegram for America|https://archive.org/details/Telegram1956] -
1956 film about the wonders of Western Union. Promotional film for
Western Union Telegraph Company, featuring its history, current
practice and emerging technology. Pictures Western expansion;
railroads; early hand telegraphy and telegraph keys.
Shows 1950s-vintage teletype and paper tape network serving all
cities and towns in the United States. Shows telegraphy of service in
business, to families, to government, in natural disasters (floods and
fires) and in the commodities market.
Numerous scenes of 1950s business and industry. Footage of Western
Union plant and facilities, including the microwave tower located in
the Tenleytown district of Washington, D.C. Considerable coverage of
new technology including facsimile (fax) transmission and delivery of
telegrams. Also coverage of the "Telmobile," a mobile reception center
for fax telegrams that then delivers them to customers in outlying
suburban districts.
* [Telegraph Office|http://www.telegraph-office.com/] - A Tribute to
Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key
Collectors and Historians
* [Telephone Answering
Machines|http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blansweringmachines.htm]
- A brief history.
* [Telephone Archive|http://www.telephonearchive.com/] - NICE
collection of documentation back to 1910 or so.
* [Telephony Document Archive|http://sc.infc.info/] - Extensive
telephone system documentation collected by Steve Cichorsky.
* [Telephone Technical Reference|http://www.kadiak.org/tel/index.html]
at Kadiac.org. Extensive document collection.
* [Telecom Digest|http://telecom-digest.org/] long running telecom
newsgroup that has a fair amount of history.
* [Telecom History Group|http://www.telcomhistory.org/] proudly
preserves and shares the rich heritage of an industry that has had and
continues to have a huge impact on our society, our culture, and most
of all, our ability to communicate. THG has museums in Denver CO and
Seattle WA.
* [Telephone Collectors
International|http://www.telephonecollectors.org/] - the international
organization of collectors of old telephone equipment.
* [Telephone Collectors International Document
Library|http://www.telephonecollectors.info/] - Extensive collection,
including Bell Systems Practices
* [Telephone Tribute|http://www.telephonetribute.com/] You'll find all
sorts of telephone related web pages here on the history of the
telephone, technical information, research resources, human interest
stories, clubs, pictures, sound files, links, etc.
* [Telephone World|http://www.phworld.org/] - History, sounds,
pictures, pay phones, network, switching systems, etc.
* [The Coming of the Dial|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbRvAuJkXg]
- 1933 video
* [The Independent|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NF_SQCTeYk] - 1957
film promoting independent telephone companies. Shows a cutover to a
new step exchange.
* [This Is A Recording|https://www.thisisarecording.com/index.html] -
EXTENSIVE collection of recordings of telephone automated messages
(wrong number, etc.)
* [United States Military
Telegraph|http://www.unitedstatesmilitarytelegraph.org/contents.html]
- Site contains extensive documentation on telegraph use during the US
Civil War and developments leading up to that point.
* [Western Union Alumni|http://www.westernunionalumni.com/] - LOTS of
stuff on Western Union, the nation's telegraph company since 1851.
* [Western Union Technical
Review|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/]
- Published 1947 through 1969. The technology of telegraphy, including
multiplexing, switching, transmission, etc.
* [New American Code for Information
Interchange|http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/18-2/p050.htm]
- April 1964. Introduces the newly adopted ASCII code
* Tom Farley's [Telephone
History|http://www.privateline.com/TelephoneHistory/History1.htm]
pages.
* [Western Union's Microwave Relay Terminal in Washington
DC|http://blog.historian4hire.net/2010/12/03/wutco-tenley/]
* [Western Union Telegraph Company History of Technical
Progress|http://telecom.csail.mit.edu/wutechprogress/]
* [YArchive|http://yarchive.net/phone/index.html] - Norman Yarvin's
extensive usenet news archive of telephone information.
* [Your Life's Work|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQtd9apEUg] -
1946 film about working in the telephone and telegraph industries.
! Receiver History
* [Jonz Valve Page|http://www.thevalvepage.com/] - Extensive photo
galleries and restoration info for old radios and televisions.
* [My Vintage TV|http://www.myvintagetv.com/] - A tour of home
entertainment equipment from 1895 to 1955
* [National] - Communications receivers and early television
receivers
* [Philco Radio|http://www.philcoradio.com/] - History, photos,
schematics of stuff from the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company.
* [Regency TR-1|http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/] - The first
transistor radio! Site includes video of the assembly line building
these radios in 1955.
* [transistor.org|http://www.transistor.org] - Sarah Lowrey's great
collection of transistor radios, with photos, articles, restoration
procedures, etc.
* [All American Five|http://pw1.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/aa5h.html] -
The popular five tube radio
! Computers, Calculators, Digital Electronics History
* [Antique Computers|http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/] - An extensive
collection of photos and documents on computer history by Ed Thelen.
* [Apollo Guidance
Computer|http://www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml]
- Instructions on building your own Apollo Guidance Computer used in
the moon landing of 1969. The Apollo AGC itself is a piece of
computing history, it was developed by the MIT Instrumentation
Laboratory and it was a quite amazing piece of hardware in the 1960s.
It was the first computer to use integrated circuits (ICs), running at
1 Mhz it offered four 16-bit registers, 4K words of RAM and 32K words
of ROM. The AGC mutlitasking operating system was called the EXEC, it
was capable of executing up to 8 jobs at a time. The user interface
unit was called the DSKY (display/keyboard, pronounced "disky"); an
array of numerals and a calculator-style keyboard used by the
astronauts to communicate with the computer.
* [Bell Systems Technical Journal|http://bstj.bell-labs.com/]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [BitSavers|http://www.bitsavers.org/] - Saving computer history from
the dumpster! They have more than 830,000 pages of scanned computer
documents in their archive. Also, links to other historic computer
sites.
* [Catweasel|http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/catweasel_e.htm] is an
interesting product that lets you use standard PC drives to read old
floppies (all PC-formats (180K up to 1440K), Amiga DD and HD (also
5,25" formats), Atari 9, 10 and 11 sektor disks, Macintosh 720K, 800K,
1440K (DD, GCR, HD), Commodore 1541, 1571, 1581 (C64, C128 and 3,5"
C-64 disks), XTRA High density with 2380KByte per disk, Nintendo
backup station 1600KB format, Atari 800XL (all MFM formats, FM under
developement), Apple IIe disks (Apple DOS 3.3 and up)
* [The Charles Babbage Institute|http://www.cbi.umn.edu/index.html] -
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center
dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and
promoting and conducting research in the field.
* [Computer Conservation Society|http://cedarsgw2.leeds.ac.uk/ccs/] -
Conserving the UK computer heritage.
* http://www.computer-history.info/ - Stories of the Development of
Large Scale Scientific Computing at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory
* [Computer History Museum|http://www.computerhistory.org], Mountain
View, CA - preserves and presents for posterity the artifacts and
stories of the information age. As such, the Museum plays a unique
role in the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide
impact on the human experience.
* [Eckert
Tapes|http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/mainframes/story/0,10801,108790,00.html?from=story%5Fkc]
- Transcript of interview with J. Presper Eckert, one of the
developers of the ENIAC, the first all electronic digital computer
(with 18,000 vacuum tubes). Computerworld, February 20, 2006
* [CPU Shack|http://www.cpushack.com/] - CPU History Museum for Intel
CPUs, AMD Processor, Cyrix Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and
more.
* [Report on the
Eniac|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/46eniac-report/index.html],
developed under the supervision of the Ordnance Department, United
States Army. June 1, 1946. Detailed description of the ENIAC.
* [fourmilab.ch|http://www.fourmilab.ch/sitemap.html#history] - Univac
history, Babbage Analytical Engine, and a history of AutoCAD
* [Historic Computer
Images|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/] by Mike Muuss.
Many are US Army photos.
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [HP Museum|http://www.hpmuseum.org] - Calculators!
* [History of Computing
Information|http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/comphist/] - Information
about the history of computing, assembled by Mike Muuss for your
information and edification. Documents from the home of the ENIAC --
The U. S. Army Research Lab .
* [A Brief History of the Hard
Drive|http://news.com.com/2300-1010_3-6031405-1.html?tag=nl] - Nice
photo collection starting with the IBM RAMAC drive of 1956, which held
5MB.
* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp - History
of Internet at NSF
* [Kelley Ad|http://www.kelleyad.com/histry.htm] shows and describes
the early advertising for Apple
* [LED Watches|http://www.ledwatches.net]
* [Mouse Site|http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/MouseSitePg1.html] -
A history of the mouse and human/machine interface. Excellent info at
Stanford University.
* [National Security Agency Center for Cryptographic
History|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/]
- History of cryptography as used by the NSA. See, especially
[Historical
Publications|http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/center_crypt_history/publications]
for documents showing the history of cryptography from pre-WW1 through
the Viet Nam war.
* [National Museum of Computing|http://www.tnmoc.org/] is dedicated to
showing the development of computing in its broadest sense from the
pioneering war time efforts that resulted in Colossus, to the products
and systems we use today. The museum is part of the whole Bletchley
Park experience, and all visitors to the park can visit the museum
free of charge when it is open. The museum houses the Colossus
computer, an exhibition of the most complex code cracking activities
performed at the Park, and enhances the Park visitors' experience by
continuing the history of the development of computing from the 1940s
to the present day.
* [Online Timeline|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/timeline.shtml] - A
capsule history of online news and information systems by David
Carlson. In particular, [this history of The
Source|http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/CARLSON/history/the_source.htm] is
interesting since I (HH) used this before I had a computer. I built a
300bps modem and connected to The Source with a Lear Siegler ADM-1
terminal. They had an MC6800 cross assembler on the system I used to
develop my first microprocessor based product.
* [Old Computers . com|http://www.old-computers.com] - The name says
it all... Remember the Altair? The PET, the VIC-20? The PDP-8?
* Radio Shack
* Ira Goldklang's TRC-80 Revival|http://www.trs-80.com/] - This site
is devoted to providing extensive information on the line of TRS-80
personal home computers, with a specific focus on the Model I, Model
III, and Model 4. There is also SOME information on the Model 100/102,
Model 200, Model 600, Color Computer, and Pocket Computer lines as
well as Printers. Information from these links includes product
descriptions, catalog numbers, pictures, prices, operations, hardware,
software, etc.
* [TRS-80.org|http://www.trs-80.org/] - Extensive history with
several interviews.
* [Jeff Vavasour's TRS-80 EMULATION
Page|http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html] - Emulate various Radio
Shack computers
* [Relay Computer|http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay] - While not
strictly historic, it's interesting nonetheless. A computer made with
relays (used as gates, flip flops, ALU, etc.).
* [Retrocomputing Archive|http://www.retroarchive.org/] - This site
was created as a logical extension to the original Commercial CP/M
Software Archive. The focus has been expanded to encompass all types
of "classic" computer systems and their software, not just CP/M.
* [Retrowagon|https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/wiki/Main_Page] - A wiki
about vintage computers from the dawn of the personal computer
* [Signetics Write Only
Memory|http://web.archive.org/web/20120316141638/http://www.national.com/rap/files/datasheet.pdf]
* [Southwest Technical Products|http://www.swtpc.com/] early supplier
of audio and computer kits.
* [Trailing Edge|http://www.trailing-edge.com/] - Archive of software
for old DEC machines. Also, the Computer History [Simulation
Project|http://simh.trailing-edge.com/] which simulates the Data
General Nova, Eclipse, Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1, PDP-4,
PDP-7, PDP-8, PDP-9, PDP-10, PDP-11, PDP-15, VAX, GRI Corporation
GRI-909, IBM 1401, 1620, 1130, System 3, Interdata (Perkin-Elmer) 16b
and 32b systems, Hewlett-Packard 2116, 2100, 21MX, Honeywell
H316/H516, MITS Altair 8800, with both 8080 and Z80, Royal-Mcbee
LGP-30, LGP-21, Scientific Data Systems SDS 940
* [Vintage Calculators . com|http://vintagecalculators.com/] - A
celebration of old calculators showing the evolution from mechanical
calculator to pocket electronic calculator.
* [Unix Haters Handbook|http://www.simson.net/ref/ugh.pdf]
! Data Communications
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.*[Internet
Archive|http://www.archive.org] - See web pages archived from 1996
on.
* [Internet Historical Society|http://history-internet.org] - A
history of the net, with lots of links.
* [FCC Short History of
internet|http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/internet/] - Something to
Share, Common Standards, Making the Connections
* [Hayes Photo
Album|http://www.wa4dsy.com/heatherington/hayes/index.html] - Some
photos and video from the start and end of Hayes modems. [Manuals and
schematics|http://www.heatherington.net/hayes/downloads.html]
<verbatim>
+++ ATDT 5551212
</verbatim>
* [Living Internet|http://www.livinginternet.com/] - An elegantly
organized tour of the Internet, both fun and informative, a rare
combination!
* [Teletext|http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/] - Data broadcasting on the
Vertical Blanking Interval
! Transistors and Semiconductors
* [60s and 70s Semiconductor Datasheet
Collection|https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxMD1ibIHfSxNkVlTE1rLWhQZ1k]
- Scanned datasheets
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm], aka
Transistor Museum - The Transistor Museum has grown significantly over
the years since we first appeared on the web in 2001. In that
timeframe we’ve added hundreds of pages of unique material
specifically developed for those interested in the history of the
transistor. In these past 14 years, all areas of the Museum have been
expanded, including Oral Histories, Photo Gallery Pictures,
Acquisitions and Donations, Photo Essay Research Articles,
Construction Projects, Timeline of Transistor History, and many other
areas covering topics important to transistor history.
! Electricity
* [A History of Impedance
Measurement|http://www.ietlabs.com/pdf/GenRad_History/A_History_of_Z_Measurement.pdf]
- Lots of bridges!
! Other Historic Sites
* [Allied Catalogs|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/] - 1928 - 1981
catalogs from Allied Electronics. Includes the Knight Kit [Wireless
Broadcaster|http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1959-180/h263.html]
* [Heathkit|http://www.heathkit-museum.com] - Revists the Heathkit age
which began in the late 1940's and lasted through the early 1990's.
* [Bell Systems Technical
Journal|http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1538-7305c/issues?activeYear=1922]
1922-1983. Includes the invention of the transistor, Shannon's Law of
information, invention of CCD, etc.
* [Bill's Retro World|http://www.billsretroworld.com/] - Nice
collection of photos from old television programs, advertisements, and
general photos from the 1950s and 1960s.
* [Carl and Jerry|http://home.gwi.net/~jdebell/pe/cj/cnjindex.htm]-
The Carl and Jerry stories from Popular Electronics, October 1954
through December 1964
* [Classic Tek|http://classictek.org/] - WONDERFUL site full of
manuals, photos, video, and other info on Tektronix.
* [Derek's Virtual Slide Rule
Gallery|http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/] - Real nice
simulations of slide rules!
* [Einstein Papers Project|http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/] - The
collected papers of Albert Einstein.
* [Hearing Aid Museum|http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/] - From ear
trumpets to carbon microphones to vacuum tubes, to transistors, to
digital signal processors. Hearing aids have changed over the years.
* [Jumpjet.info|https://www.jumpjet.info] has an amazing collection of
very early (starting before 1915) books and magazines on radios. See
[Pioneering
Wireless|https://www.jumpjet.info/Pioneering-Wireless/index.htm].
* [Kight Kit|https://knightkit.com/] - Home of the Knight Kit Wireless
Broadcaster
* [Mark Cselle's History of Technology
Page|http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/staff/mcsele/history.htm] -
Extensive information on history of power generation, telephone,
computers, vacuum tubes, etc..
* [Mike's Electric Stuff|http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/] has a nice
collection of info on vaccum tubes, Nixies, and more.
* [The Oughtred Society|http://www.oughtred.org/] - The Oughtred
Society was founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors and is
dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other
calculating instruments. In the past fourteen years it has evolved to
an international organization with members in 22 countries. It is
noted for its highly acclaimed Journal of the Oughtred Society,
* [Philbrick Archive|http://www.philbrickarchive.org/] - This site is
a free non-profit repository of materials from GAP/R George A
Philbrick Researches, the company that launched the commercial use of
the Operational Amplifier in 1952.
* [Radio Shack Catalogs|http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/] -
Excellent collection of Radio Shack print catalogs from the first 1939
catalog through 2003.
* [Semiconductor
Museum|http://semiconductormuseum.com/Museum_Index.htm] - Great
collection of photographs and oral histories of the developments of
semiconductors. For example, an oral history describes the development
of the 2N2222, which was released in 1962 and is still being designed
into products today.
* [Southwest Museum of Engineering,Communications and
Computation|http://www.smecc.org/] - A very extensive collection of
physical and online resources.
* [Spark Bang Buzz|http://sparkbangbuzz.com/] - While not truly
history, it does tell you how to build many devices from history.
Projects include several based on zinc negative resistance, copper
oxide thermo electric generator, magnetic amplifiers, an 80m
transmitter built around a 2N3904, an alcohol flame triode amplifier,
home made CRT tube, arc transmitters, home made coherer, home made
vacuum tube triode, sound modulated LED, laser, and flashlight, etc.
Fun stuff!
* Telharmonium - The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was
an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill
in 1897. The Telharmonium was intended to be listened to using
telephone receivers.
* [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telharmonium]
* [Magic Music From The Telharmonium
Documentary|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPlbXl81Rs0] on ~YouTube
* [Tesla Wardenclyffe Project|http://www.teslascience.org/] - mission
is the preservation and adaptive reuse of Wardenclyffe, the
century-old laboratory of electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla located in
Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
* [Tube Books dot Org|http://www.tubebooks.org/] - Herein you will
find a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube
datasheets, and other obsolete information, presented free of charge
and without annoying advertisements.
* http://www.pat2pdf.org/ - Free online conversions of USPTO patent
images to pdf for easy viewing. Just supply the patent number.
* [Watthourmeters.com|http://watthourmeters.com/] - An online
reference to US made watthour meters.
* [Weston Engineering
Notes|http://www.slbench.com/Home/westonengineeringnotes-1] - "Weston
Electrical Instrument Corporation, founded in 1888, is responsible for
many important developments in the electrical engineering field.
Several years ago, I came across a 3 year collection of Weston
Engineering Notes starting in 1946. This was a far different time and
many of the things we take for granted today weren't even dreams of
the future yet. Clicking the above logo will give you an enlarged
sketch of an engineer's desk. Engineering and physics books (complete
with log tables) close at hand. The ever present slide rule, a sharp
pencil, drafting triangle and the all-important eraser being important
tools of the trade. A tube and a large can capacitor are part of a
current project. An analog meter waiting to prove or dis-prove the
latest theory. The pipe to be used while pondering the latest
developments and speculating about the future."
<br>
<br>
----
<b>Contribute</b><br>
NOTE - Due to wiki spam, only registered users can edit pages. Email
me (mailto:harold@hallikainen.org) to register for page edits and file
uploads. If you have a scan of a manual that you'd like me to post,
please [email it to me|mailto:harold@hallikainen.org].
If you did not scan the material yourself, please obtain permission
and credit the person who did. If you find appropriate information on
another website, it'd be best to link to that site instead of copying
material from it (especially without permission).
<b>About Copyright</b>
Some of the material on this site may still be under copyright. Use of
material here is intended to be fair use allowing researchers to study
the history and evolution of broadcast equipment. If, however, you
hold the copyright on material on this site and you would like the
material removed, please let me know. The material will be removed
immediately.
Thanks!
Harold Hallikainen<br>
mailto:harold@hallikainen.com or mailto:harold@hallikainen.org
----
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