Dick Benjamin wrote:
SNIP an exellant history on search tune automobile radios, BUT:
>
> The first search tune with FM was released in GM cars, of course, and only
> let out to the competition after they had made the advertising splash with
> it.
>
I have a 1956 Mercedes-Benz 190SL with a Becker Mexico radio. I don't know
how they got around Delco's search tune radio patents (maybe they just paid
them royalties?), but, it's got AM/FM AND search tune! And, I'm quite
certain this was not the first year for the Becker Mexico.
(Their website: http://www.becker.de/html/de/produkt_promd4937.html :
claims "1953 - The classic Becker Mexico is launched. The first car {SIC}
with automatic channel search.")
> The first FM Stereo was similarly tied up in patents, although I'm not as
> conversant with the facts in that matter. I am aware of Stereo in Cadillac
> and probably other GM cars in the early 60's - I think 64 for Cadillac (It
> worked, but barely, with the damn relay clicking all the time!). The delay
> for other luxury brands was the same deal - GM gets first crack at it
> because they put up the money to develop it. That's the American way,
> folks!
Just to add that there were no multiplex stereo radios, anywhere, before
1961, as the FCC didn't OK multiplex broadcasts till then. That didn't mean
you couldn't listen to non-multiplex stereo broadcasts in your home before
1961, however; you just needed two radios, one set to an AM station for one
channel, another set to the corresponding FM station for the other channel.
Or, you could use one of the Hi-Fi tuners that allowed you to listen to both
AM and FM at the same time with seperate outputs (like the Heathkit PT-1),
but I'm getting severly tangental and off-topic now....
Mark in Westminster, CO
1952 Chrysler Imperial 2-Door Hardtop (Philco AM radio with tune-able
pre-sets)
Back to the Home of the Forward Look Network