[Scan-DC] Car/police radios, etc.

[michael rumberg]

Hi All,

This was a really fascinating story; I forwarded it to my step-Dad, George Tressel, who is originally from Chicago and involved in lots of early television developments.  He passed it to a friend of his - I think you will find his friend's point very interesting. 


-------- Original message --------
From: George Tressel  
Date:04/03/2014  2:17 PM  (GMT-05:00) 
To: Michael Rumberg  
Subject: Fwd: Re: Car/police radios, etc. 


    Interesting follow-up from my old friend in Chicago.  Mitch was the
    recording chief for the Chicago Symphony and Chief (I think)
    Engineer for WFMT in Chicago.

    

      

      -------- Original Message --------
      
        
          
            Subject:
            
            Re: Car/police radios, etc.
          
          
            Date: 
            Thu, 03 Apr 2014 12:04:20 -0500
          
          
            From: 
            M Heller/Green 
          
          
            : 
            

          
        
      
      

      

      yes and NO...  Bill Lear  was an amazing character. I didnt know
      him but my close friend and older mentor Loren Toogood ( who was
      indeed an inventor with many patents, , among other things) did
      know Lear rather well. Lear did manage to his name on  patents for
      an amazing number of important things, but what is even more
      amazing is that he really wasnt as much the  inventor as he was a
      genius entrepeneur. Lear had the uncanny ability  to judge the  "
      saleability " of stuff. He could sort out a market even if it was
      at times a niche market , and then assemble a group of  experts
      and engineers and technicians to come up with the actual details
      of the devices he  wanted to sell. And patent! For example the
      famous LEARJET started life as a small  jet trainer for  the Swiss
      Air Force. Lear saw the potential for that little plane as a
      private executive and corporate plane and got the rights to have
      it modified and sold for that application... Certainly Lear DIDNT
      invent the LEARJET.. what he did was MARKET the LEARJET. Likewise
      with the 8 track audio cartridge... In that arena my friend
      Toogood was actually one of  the   pioneers and experts  in the
      development of  early magnetic tape technology.. you might recall
      the MAGNECORDER.. well Toogood had a major role in the development
      and design of that machine.. that is, in the actual mechanical
      aspects, not  so much the electronics. Toogood was the chief
       design  engineer for Hallicrafters in the 1930s and was
      responsible  for the production  of many famous receivers and from
      that era.. ... So Toogood knew the industry and the people who
      were coming up with concepts and refinements of the so called
      endless loop tape drives.. Lear saw what they were doing and also
      saw the market potential for the application of endless loop
      cartridges in cars..One of the actual inventors was a guy named
      Ralph Couzens, but his name vanished once Lear got on the case!
      

      
       What Lear did was exploit the market.. he was a superb super
        salesman and for  that he deserves a lot of credit.. but one of
        the biggest items he managed to sell over the years was Bill
        Lear himself!.. I believe Galvin was the genius behind forming
        Motorola etc but Lear certainly was a driving force in marketing
        the stuff... Another Lear device was  indeed the ADF for
        airplanes,., automatic  radio direction finding.. he didnt
        invent it but saw the raw early designs , realized the
        importance and the applications,  got it into production and
        then had it made and marketed. The autopilot was not invented by
        LEAR... it was invented by SPERRY of gyroscope fame.. ( and some
        others)  but Lear got the rights to the early models and got his
        staff to market it..  What was uncanny was his knack for being
        at the right place at the right time and latching on to
        technology he could develop. And SELL! And attach his name to!
         Lear was probably the all time genius of technology marketing!
        

        

          

            

              On Apr 3, 2014, at 9:53 AM, George Tressel wrote:
              
              
                
                 From my son in
                  law -- is it accurate?

                  

                    

                    -------- Original Message --------
                    
                      
                        
                          Subject: 
                          Car/police radios, etc.
                        
                        
                          Date: 
                          Wed, 02 Apr 2014 22:26:43 -0500 (CDT)
                        
                        
                          From: 
                          Michael Rumberg <michael.rumberg at verizon.net>
                        
                        
                          To: 
                          michael.rumberg at verizon.net
                        
                      
                    
                    

                    

                    I havent checked this story out
                      but believe its correct.  Some of you getting this
                      email will certainly remember parts of it!

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