[Collins] Re: black beauty

[Dr. Gerald N. Johnson, electrical engineer]

My project, the 821A-1 250 KW VOA transmitter didn't have the privilege
of hiding from Art. It was one of his pets. He'd bid way under to break
into a new power level for Collins. Then after we delivered the 9 for
VOA (selling them for essentially purchased parts cost) and received an
order for 2 or 3 for Australia, he decreed a new design to get around
some of the foibles of the A-1 and to replace my diagnostic panel and
the local and remote control panels with a computer (in 1966). Last I
saw before I took a leave of absence (that has turned permanent) the PA
tubes, modulator tubes, maybe the RF driver tube and RF driver tube
socket were common between the 821A-1 and the 821A-2.

Then when Rockwell bought the company for one year's gross sales, Art
opened a management consulting company.

He tended to not allow any decisions between junior engineers and his
management to be made without his direct approval. I felt that meant all
those middle and upper managers really had nothing to do except take
attendance and pass out pink slips when the banks required him to fire a
percentage of the white collar work force to get the next bank loan.

I'm told it didn't happen, but I expected Rockwell would have had to
replace all management to get managers willing to make decisions.

Definitely nearly all engineers are far better at engineering that at
managing engineers or departments.

I'll rail on, but I KNOW I'd do no better at letting employees do their
jobs, so I don't have any. When I have had, I've "mother henned" them to
death.

73, Jerry, K0CQ

-- 
Entire content copyright Dr. Gerald N. Johnson, electrical engineer.
Reproduction by permission only.