[Test-Equipment] Pickett N-515-T electronics slide rule

[Fuqua, Bill L]

I used a Pickett Vectror-Log-Log rule in the 60's. No formulas on it.  The neat thing about it was that you could calculate vector sums on it with out having to square the numbers add them and take the square root.  they were great for calculating impedance etc. 

73
Bill wa4lav 
________________________________________
From: test-equipment-bounces at mailman.qth.net [test-equipment-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Michael D. Harmon [mharmon at att.net]
Sent: Friday, May 22, 2009 11:52 PM
To: test-equipment at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Test-Equipment] Pickett N-515-T electronics slide rule

Hi All,

That brings back memories!

Back in 1969, I was at the Kansas City FCC office to take my First Phone
commercial exam.  For those of you under 35-40, back in those days, you
had to possess a First Class Radiotelephone Operator's License to work
as a chief engineer at any broadcast station.  The tests were only given
at FCC offices (as were General, Advanced, and Extra-Class amateur
license exams).

Of course everyone brought a slide rule to the exams, because there was
a lot of math, and pocket calculators didn't exist back then.  The FCC
examiners always asked to see all slide rules before the exam session
began.  Anyway, one guy came striding into the exam room with his
CIE/Pickett electronics slide rule in the leather case slapping his leg
with each step.  As soon as a few of us saw the "Cleveland Institute of
Electronics" logo on the case, we all chuckled under our breath.  The
guy obviously didn't realize that the examiners inspected every slide
rule, because as soon as the guy asked to see his slide rule, all the
color drained out of his face.  You see, the CIE/Pickett rules had a
bunch of the  electronic formulas printed on the back of the rule.  The
examiner gave him the option to either forfeit the use of his slide rule
during the exam session or leave.  He left.

I still have several slide rules - my old Pickett N803-ES, a K&E  4081-3
which belonged to my late wife (a chemist), and a cheap plastic
one-sided Acu-Math.  I haven't used any of them for years, but I'd never
part with them.  They're remnants of a different time, a different
technology, and perfect examples of tools which were made to last a
lifetime.  When I was in college in the Sixties, most professors
wouldn't allow you to use slide rules on tests.  Everyone had their CRC
handbook and were required to use log tables for all calculations.
"Slide rule accuracy" (3 significant digits) just wasn't precise enough
to satisfy them!

My two cents worth ...

Mike, WB0LDJ
mharmon at att dot net

Oh, BTW, try Walter Shawlee's excellent slide rule reference pages at
http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/sruniverse.html


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