[TMC] Why GPR-90s Look So Good

[Richard Knoppow]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "BRUCE BERMAN" <triodes at optonline.net>
To: "Les Locklear" <leslocklear at hotmail.com>
Cc: "Richard Knoppow" <1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com>; "John 
Poulton, K4OZY" <jp at cs.unc.edu>; "Chris Kepus" 
<ckepus at comcast.net>; "tmc collector's group" 
<TMC at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Friday, December 12, 2014 1:40 PM
Subject: Re: [TMC] Why GPR-90s Look So Good


If I could weigh in here as well.............

I think the styling is somewhat more in line with the 
Hallicrafters
SX-88, instead of the Hammarlund receivers of the time.

     I would add to your examples some of the broadcast 
equipment of the late 1940s through 1950s. Both RCA and 
Western Electric employed well known industrial designers. 
Particularly WE. Have a look at the Type 639A/B microphone, 
the 25B speech input console, and the AM and FM transmitters 
of the mid-1940s. RCA transmitters of the period are also 
good examples. This is around the time that Hallicrafters 
hired Raymond Loewy who is responsible for most of their 
designs of the period. I think Loewy also did some of the 
design for Western Electric but the famous 500 series 
telephone was the work of Henry Dreyfuss. Dreyfuss had a 
somewhat different philosophy than Loewy since he was 
concerned with the aspects of practical use as well as 
appearance.  I don't know who designed the 639A/B or the WE 
broadcast equipment although it may be mentioned in the 
advertising literature somewhere.
    BTW, those interested in industrial product engineering 
will find the WE 500 telephone interesting: IMO it is one of 
the most thoroughly engineered items ever. First of all it 
was intended to be part of a very complex system, i.e. the 
Bell Telephone plant, almost an organism. One can find out 
quite a bit about it from articles in the Bell System 
Technical Journal and elsewhere.
    In comparison with some more famous designs the TMC 
equipment is mostly outstanding.
--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk at ix.netcom.com