[BC] Ground systems - George H. Brown

[Danny Ray Boyer]

"And Part Of Which I Was"

Recollections of a Research Engineer
George H. Brown


Revised edition - 1982
Library of Congress Card # 82-72256

Published by:

Angus Cupar Publishers
117 Hunt Drive
Princeton, N.J.


Excellent book!

Written about his life from his recollections of his childhood until the 
late 70's. 

When George was working at RCA to determine the "optimum number" of 
ground radials for a vertical radiator, he talked about laying 113 
ground radials during his test to determine the efficiency of various 
ground radials for vertical radiators.  He said that they stopped 
installing at 113 radials, because he and his assistant ran out of 
copper wire at that point.

After the 113 radials was installed, they made field strength 
measurements, then pulled a portion of the buried ground radials and 
made additional field strength measurements.  They continued that 
process until they pulled all of the radials out of the ground. 

They hired a local farmer (and his team of mules) for $1 day to "plow 
in" the radials.  The farmer was working 40 hours per week originally 
laying radials and then pulling them out.  The farmer's salary was $40 
each week.  George commented, that the farmer was making more in pay 
from RCA, than he was making for his week's work. 

After RCA published his work on the efficiency of AM ground radials, he 
thought it odd that one (or more) stations filled their AM application 
at the FCC with exactly 113 radials, duplicating where he had to stop 
laying, rather than using a greater "round number" of 120, which he 
recommended to the FCC. 

He talks about designing the Turnstile antenna (originally for FM 
Broadcast and later used for TV, the TV Diplexer and other items. 

The later part of his book details his work at RCA in helping to design 
(and getting the FCC to adopt) the standard 525 line NTSC TV standard, 
then he discusses the work that he and his colleagues did on color TV.

I consider George to be, as I do some on this list, great minds and 
geniuses in their expertise. 
 
I asked my wife in the summer of 2005 to see if she could find a copy of 
George's book.  It wasn't long that I forgot about asking her. 
 
As she is a very good wife, she did and gave it to me for Christmas. 

342 Pages, of which I read all of it before the end of Christmas Day.  
Great present, even better than my yearly pair of new sox!

I have had it laying on my desk for a re-read, of which I started 
earlier this week. 

Slight correction -  it is an auto-biography, rather than a biography.

Danny Ray Boyer  W5AHN