[Milsurplus] Liquid solder and xtals

[Bob kb8tq]

Hi

I would take some of what the late Dr Bottoms presented with a grain of salt. 
That’s true both of his published work and his in person presentations. Others
who were there at the time and who worked through the problems involved 
had different takes on “what happened back then ….”. Those recollections 
generally are unpublished and often only came out after a trip to the local bar
post-presentation ….. 

Why does this matter in the context of Milsurplus? My guess is that it also applies
to a lot of what we now take for gospel in various areas. The story we accept is often
the one that got the most press. For major events, yes people go back and dig. 
For obscure stuff …. likely not so much. 

Bob

> On May 22, 2020, at 11:27 AM, Robert Nickels <ranickel at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
> Virgil Bottoms excellent "A History Of The Quartz Crystal Industry In The USA"  which appeared in  the IEEE Proceedings of the 35th Annual Frequency Control Symposium, pp. 3-12, 1981 can be read here:
> 
> https://ieee-uffc.org/about-us/history/uffc-s-history/a-history-of-the-quartz-crystal-industry-in-the-usa/
> 
> As is always the case with major developments, a number of companies and individuals contributed to the successful outcome, a complementary effort of the scientists who developed the process and the manufacturers who contributed logistics and manufacturing know-how.   We're fortunate that Mr. Bottoms chronicled these activities based on his personal experiences after joining the Quartz Crystal Section (QCS) of the Signal Corps in 1943, just two years after its founding.     The decision to move to quartz crystal frequency control had been made in 1939, but there was a problem:  there wasn't a crystal manufacturing industry.   The resulting mobilization enlisted the help of "machinists, blacksmiths, jewelry makers, and amateur radio operators". William Halligan, the President of the Hallicrafters Co. was able to say just three years later:
> 
> “We had no trained personnel to make crystals. We had no equipment with which to make crystals and out of this has been created what to my mind, is truly a miracle of American incentive and industry.”
> 
> 73, Bob W9RAN
> 
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