[Milsurplus] item of interest

[J. Forster]

gl4d21a at juno.com wrote:

> Let's be a little careful about terminology.
>
> The magnetron was invented by A. W. Hull of GE.  See:
> <http://www.nndb.com/people/126/000099826/> As with many original
> inventions, no one knew what the heck it was good for at the time,
> and it languished.
>
> The multi cavity magnetron was invented by the British, several
> individuals contributed, and all claim precedence. See Buderi,
> excerpted here:
> <http://www.privateline.com/mt_telecomhistory/f_radar_the_invention_th
> at_changed_the_world/>
>
> And, Raytheon improved the manufacturability, a process which often
> happens sometime between invention and mass production.  [snip]

The British unit was almost unproducable as anyone who has tried to machine
copper to close tolerances well knows. It's like trying to machine cream cheese.
I stand by my previous statement:

"On the other hand, the Magnetron was essentially redesigned so it could be made

by Raytheon by stamping and furnace brazing, rather than the very difficult task

machining of a copper billet."

In the redesign, the strapping was also improved (by stamping the straps into
some layers) increasing both the stability and power output.

-John