Topband: History of directional MF antennas

[Grant Saviers]

Carl E Smith obit at
http://iagenweb.org/boards/wapello/obituaries/index.cgi?read=414496

Have to wonder if the computer still exists.

Grant KZ1W

On 3/30/2022 14:34, Pete Michaelis - N8TR wrote:
> About 40 years ago I had the opportunity to see the electro -mechanical 
> device used
> to generate those antenna patterns.  I was newly licensed and met Carl 
> Smith's
> son at a local hamfest,  He was selling some insulator clevises.  I 
> asked if he
> had any more.  He said they had some more at  their facility on 
> Snowville Road
> in Brecksville ,Ohio.   I drove there and picked up the clevises.  Carl 
> Smith
> was there and when he heard that I worked at NASA's Lewis Research Center
> he wanted to hear about our new CRAY computer and wondered if he could
> get access to it.  Well that was way above my pay grade but I gave him a 
> name
> to contact.  He then showed me the pattern generating device he had built.
> I was impressed but did not fully appreciate its importance.  I had 
> forgotten
> about that visit till I read this message thread.
> 
> 73 Pete - N8TR
> 
> At 01:25 PM 3/30/2022, Grant Saviers wrote:
> 
>> The reference book of patterns for 2 and 3 element verticals is
>> Directional Antennas, by Carl E. Smith, E.E., Cleveland Institute of 
>> Radio Electronics, 1946
>> and is available in pdf from scribd.com
>>
>> It has hundreds of fascinating patterns created by Carl Smith's analog 
>> computer.  Antenna patterns for every possible need, if you have the 
>> space and expertise to work out the feed.
> _________________
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