Tennelec: Difference between revisions
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'''Tennelec''' was a US electronics company, known particularily for introducing the first programmable radio scanner, the '''Tennelec MCP-1'''. |
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{{Infobox company |
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Prior to the MCP-1, scanners were "manually programmed" by inserting a series of hand-cut crystals tuned for different frequencies. The scanner would then switch between the frequencies, stopping when the user pressed a switch. Tennelec got their start with a series of machines of this sort. |
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| founder = Edward Fairstein |
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| hq_location_city = [[Oak Ridge, Tennessee]] |
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| parent = Canberra Industries |
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| type = [[Division (business)|Division]] |
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}} |
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'''Tennelec''' was a US electronics company founded in the early 1960s by Edward Fairstein in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The company came to prominence producing instrumentation for nuclear studies and later, programmable scanning radios. |
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With the MCP-1 the user selected the frequencies they wanted to monitor by setting them up using [[binary coded decimal]] entered via sixteen switches on the front panel. Once selected, the system worked similarily to the older models, cycling through them until stopped. The advantage was that the system could be set up to monitor different sets of frequencies, police one night, fire departments the next. |
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The TC-200 amplifier was a successful early design that established Tennelec as a leader in the nuclear instrumentation field. Following on the heels of the TC-200 success, the company developed additional components necessary for precise nuclear measurement, including detectors and particle counters. |
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The scanner was released at the Winter 1976 [[Consumer Electronics Show]] in [[Chicago]]. The system was a hit, and was soon picked up for [[Radio Shack]]. To help users get started, Radio Shack also purchased thousands of copies of ''Police Call'', a guide to various radio frequencies. Two similar models followed, the '''MS-1''' and '''MS-2'''. |
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Tennelec also manufactured innovative scanning radios in the 1970s. The first programmable radio [[Scanner (radio)|scanner]] was the Memoryscan from Tennelec Commercial Products Division, introduced in 1974, and later known as the Memoryscan 1 (model '''MS-1''').<ref>{{cite book | title = Tennelec memoryscan(tm) Instruction Manual and Frequency Codes | publisher = Tennelec Inc. Commercial Products Division | location = Oak Ridge, Tennessee | year = 1974}}</ref><ref>{{US patent reference | number=3961261 | y=1976 | m=06 | d=01 | inventor=Peter W. Pflasterer | title= Crystalless scanning radio receiver }} (filed March 14, 1974)</ref> This was followed by a slightly improved model, the Memoryscan 2 (model '''MS-2'''). Prior to the MS-1 and MS-2, scanners were "programmed" by inserting a series of hand-cut crystals tuned for different frequencies. The scanner would then switch between the frequencies, stopping when the user pressed a switch. With the MS-1 and MS-2, the user selected up to 16 frequencies they wanted to monitor by setting them up using [[Binary code|binary]] codes entered via two pushbuttons on the front panel. Sixteen toggle switches allowed the user to select which frequencies were of interest at any given time. The system could cycle through the selected frequencies until stopped. The advantage was that the system could be set up to monitor different sets of frequencies, e.g., police one night, fire departments the next. |
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The first scanner allowing direct entry of decimal frequencies on a keypad,<ref name=BBWprofile>{{cite web|title=Executive Profile|url=http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=4080143&privcapId=4074131|publisher=Bloomberg BusinessWeek|accessdate=1 June 2011}}</ref> was the Tennelec '''MCP-1'''.<ref name=PS4-76>{{cite journal|title=Computer scanner|journal=Popular Science|date=April 1976|pages=106}} MCP-1 'allows you to keyboard-enter 16,000 low, high and UHF-band frequencies. MCP-1 is $399.95.'</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Curtis|first=Anthony R.|title=Computerized scanners|journal=Popular Mechanics|date=July 1977|volume=148|issue=1|pages=68–70|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tOIDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA70|accessdate=1 June 2011}}</ref> The scanner was released at the Winter 1976 [[Consumer Electronics Show]] in [[Chicago]]. The system was a hit, and was soon picked up for [[Radio Shack]]. To help users get started, Radio Shack also purchased thousands of copies of ''Police Call'', a guide to various radio frequencies |
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| ⚫ | Partly due to poor quality control{{citation needed|date=October 2011}} of their scanner line, Tennelec filed for bankruptcy{{citation needed|date=October 2011}} soon after introducing their latest radio models. By this point other manufacturers, in particular [[SBE (company)|SBE]] and Regency and Electra, had already introduced their own programmable models. |
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Tennelec, still located in Oak Ridge, TN, is now a division of Canberra Industries, which is owned by [[Areva]]. |
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==See also== |
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*[[Scanner (radio)]] |
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*[[Consumer Electronics Show]] |
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==References== |
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<references/> |
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==External links== |
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{{Commons|Scanners}} |
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[[Category:Defunct electronics companies of the United States]] |
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[[Category:Companies based in Tennessee]] |
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[[Category:Radio manufacturers]] |
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Latest revision as of 04:46, 19 October 2024
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2011) |
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Founder | Edward Fairstein |
| Headquarters | |
| Parent | Canberra Industries |
Tennelec was a US electronics company founded in the early 1960s by Edward Fairstein in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The company came to prominence producing instrumentation for nuclear studies and later, programmable scanning radios.
The TC-200 amplifier was a successful early design that established Tennelec as a leader in the nuclear instrumentation field. Following on the heels of the TC-200 success, the company developed additional components necessary for precise nuclear measurement, including detectors and particle counters.
Tennelec also manufactured innovative scanning radios in the 1970s. The first programmable radio scanner was the Memoryscan from Tennelec Commercial Products Division, introduced in 1974, and later known as the Memoryscan 1 (model MS-1).[1][2] This was followed by a slightly improved model, the Memoryscan 2 (model MS-2). Prior to the MS-1 and MS-2, scanners were "programmed" by inserting a series of hand-cut crystals tuned for different frequencies. The scanner would then switch between the frequencies, stopping when the user pressed a switch. With the MS-1 and MS-2, the user selected up to 16 frequencies they wanted to monitor by setting them up using binary codes entered via two pushbuttons on the front panel. Sixteen toggle switches allowed the user to select which frequencies were of interest at any given time. The system could cycle through the selected frequencies until stopped. The advantage was that the system could be set up to monitor different sets of frequencies, e.g., police one night, fire departments the next.
The first scanner allowing direct entry of decimal frequencies on a keypad,[3] was the Tennelec MCP-1.[4][5] The scanner was released at the Winter 1976 Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago. The system was a hit, and was soon picked up for Radio Shack. To help users get started, Radio Shack also purchased thousands of copies of Police Call, a guide to various radio frequencies
Partly due to poor quality control[citation needed] of their scanner line, Tennelec filed for bankruptcy[citation needed] soon after introducing their latest radio models. By this point other manufacturers, in particular SBE and Regency and Electra, had already introduced their own programmable models.
Tennelec, still located in Oak Ridge, TN, is now a division of Canberra Industries, which is owned by Areva.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Tennelec memoryscan(tm) Instruction Manual and Frequency Codes. Oak Ridge, Tennessee: Tennelec Inc. Commercial Products Division. 1974.
- ^ US patent 3961261, Peter W. Pflasterer, "Crystalless scanning radio receiver", issued 1976-06-01 (filed March 14, 1974)
- ^ "Executive Profile". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
- ^ "Computer scanner". Popular Science: 106. April 1976. MCP-1 'allows you to keyboard-enter 16,000 low, high and UHF-band frequencies. MCP-1 is $399.95.'
- ^ Curtis, Anthony R. (July 1977). "Computerized scanners". Popular Mechanics. 148 (1): 68–70. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
External links
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