[BC] Ground systems - George H. Brown

[Andy Soule]

Thanks for the tip, Bernie Wise has some great stories of RCA in the old 
days too. Looking forward to some more.

I just found my own copy online.   Theres one on ebay, i got it a bit 
cheaper at alibris.com


Andy Soule

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Danny Ray Boyer" <drboyer at centralcom.com>
To: <broadcast at radiolists.net>
Sent: Sunday, February 12, 2006 8:59 PM
Subject: [BC] Ground systems - George H. Brown


> "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
>
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