NEWSLETTER OF THE INFORMATION AGE SCIENCE HISTORY CENTER AND MUSEUMS Volume 12, Number 3 www.infoage.org July – September 2018

Photos from the NJ Historic Fred Carl has been a champion of PRESERVATION NEW JERSEY ANNOUNCES Preservation Awards ceremony and Camp Evans since 1993, when its 2018 NJ HISTORIC opening reception of the 2018 New closing under base realignment and PRESERVATION AWARDS Jersey History and Historic closure (BRAC) was announced. With Preservation Conference can be viewed the backing of Wall Township, Mr. Statewide non-profit organization at Flickr. Carl researched the creation of a recognizes achievements in historic science center that was added to the preservation the Marconi Reuse Plan in 1995. Mr. Detailed descriptions of the Carl built a consortium to preserve Leadership Awards can be found at Camp Evans that incorporated in 1998 PATERSON, NJ - Preservation New Preservation New Jersey 's website. as a not-for-profit known as the Jersey (PNJ), along with the New www.preservationnj.org InfoAge Science-History Center. With Jersey Historic Preservation Office and support from Wall Township and Historic Sites Council celebrated Monmouth County, the InfoAge individuals, organizations, and PNJ presented a Leadership Award to: Science-History Center replaced the agencies that have made a major or roofs, installed heat, and added air sustained impact within the field of conditioning to five buildings. In history and historic preservation in addition, nine restrooms were New Jersey at an awards ceremony on restored to service. InfoAge repainted Thursday at Passaic County the exteriors of the WW2 and satellite Community College's historic era buildings, and the entire interiors Hamilton Club during the 2018 New of seven buildings. Mr. Carl and his Jersey History and Historic fellow volunteers continue the work Preservation Conference. of restoration as they raise funds and

"Every year, we are more and more Fred Carl – Founder, Director and COO establish educational science-history impressed by the dedication and InfoAge Science History Center programs. creativity of both the volunteer and professional preservation community Fred Carl received the Sarah B. Fiske The Board of Directors, Staff and in their efforts to save, restore, and Legacy Award, which is a lifetime volunteers wish to congratulate promote NJ's historic resources," PNJ's achievement award recognizing Fred on his award and thank him Executive Director, Courtenay Mercer important and sustained contributions for his on-going efforts to preserve said. "We are privileged and honored to the understanding and promotion of and restore Camp Evans and make to recognize these efforts through the historic preservation and history in it a home for young and old to annual NJ Historic Preservation New Jersey. learn NJ History. Awards.

Internet Archeology By Ray F. Chase – New Jersey Antique Radio Club

As a WWII living memorial site and a barns or basements by WWII equipment I have a daughter and grandchildren designated National Landmark based collectors. This will not get us a complete in MD and have been fortunate to on our history, it behooves us to system but enough bits and pieces to combine visits with them to include preserve and display early radar make a meaningful display. The on-line the acquisition of artifacts that were artifacts. But where does one get them? auction site E-Bay is a prime source but advertised on E-bay and local pick- At the end of WWII, there was a mass contact with other museums and internet up was either a condition of purchase rush to scrap out all thats now useless reflector sites are other opportunities. or an option. As I indicated, WWII mostly obsolete stuff. For the U.S. Newer social media sites can be useful as radar stuff was usually quite heavy. Navy, there were those who wanted to well. It also helps to have friends Looking at my records, I see that trips preserve some of the ships and thus scattered around the country as a few to MD have brought us a SCR-268 there are many museum ships around following examples will show. radar indicator, an APR-1 EW the country and possibly some of their Some years ago, while trolling on E-bay, receiver and a PE-110-D were saved. For I spied a BC-957-A indicator/receiver communication radio power supply. communications equipment, there from the SCR-547 radar. This WWII set Probably the most significant find were legions of Amateur Radio was often called the Mickey Mouse was a missing part for the SCR-268 Operators who purchased radio Radar because its two parabolic radar that I was restoring equipment from the many surplus antennae looked like Mickey Mouse’s after finding it in an old warehouse. stores that sprung up, (remember radio ears. This transmitter has three indicating row on Cortland St. in New York City). Anyway, the item was in Oregon and meters mounted on large insulators Besides, radios were usually much was listed only for local pick-up due to because they are running at a very smaller and could be useful as basic its size and weight. The seller indicated high voltage but one of the meter communications equipment for tens of that if there were no takers, it would go assemblies had been broken off and thousands of Hams. Radar equipment into the dumpster. That would be a nice was missing. This bedeviled me as it was big and heavy and had no item to have but Oregon is a long way would be difficult to reproduce and comparable peacetime use so off it off. Then I thought, our good friend its omission from the unit would went to the breakers. Ludwell Sibley lives in Oregon so I spoil its display. Then one day, So, what do we do in the 21st century contact him and turns out he was only “bingo” someone on e-bay had a to preserve the artifacts derived from about 20 miles from the seller. Lud complete meter assembly for sale. the labors of those countless early offered to pick it up and when I The odds of this item showing up engineers, workers and innovators contacted the seller to make a deal, he were extremely slim indeed, but I who produced the wonders of radar was thrilled that it was headed to a jumped on it and got it for a that did so much to win our victory in museum, so he donated it. But then how reasonable price. I figured who else the 20th century? And how do we to get it from Oregon? Well, we have would need or want it but still there preserve and display the history of another local friend, Will Donzelli who were a couple of other bidders. Camp Evans? wheels and deals in all sorts of vintage “Radio Rows” across the country are radars and computers and makes an now gone, the last remaining major annual U.S tour to pick-up or deliver surplus radar source, Radio Research results of his deals. While on a west coast Instruments in CT is gone over five leg of his trip he agreed to make a detour years ago; its 200,000 square feet of to Oregon and bring the unit back to radar equipment sold for scrap. One New Jersey where it is now on display in can probably count no more than half a the hotel. What a good friend! dozen Military museums with meaningful radar displays and another half dozen private collectors who have the energy and means to maintain private collections. One useful answer is to use the power of the internet to ferret out bits and pieces of radar equipment that one way SCR-547 Indicator/Receiver from Meter Assembly for SCR-268 or another were accumulated in attics, Oregon on Display in the Hotel Restoration

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Army in Space – The Early Years

John T. Cervini – Vice Chairman InfoAge Board of Trustees

Operation Paperclip A large transmitter, receiver, and Toward the end of WWII in Europe, were constructed at the Werner Von Braun and his staff lab for the project. The transmitter, a surrendered to the Americans at highly modified World War II SCR-271

Peenemunde and were taken to Fort radar set, provided 3,000 watts at 111.5 MHz in quarter-second pulses, while Bliss, TX and ultimately Redstone Arsenal, AL to continue research on the "bedspring" dipole array antenna provided 24 dB of gain. Reflected rockets based on the V-2 model. Many signals were received about 2.5 seconds successful and unsuccessful launches Sputnik 1 Satellite took place there. But these were sub- later, with the receiver compensating orbital flights rather than “space” for Doppler modulation of the reflected signal. efforts. True space programs originated To the U.S. Army Signal Corps in the Army with the Signal Corps The ability to bounce radio waves off scientists at Camp Evans in Wall projects at Fort Monmouth and Camp a sitting target like the moon, or later, Township and Deal Test site in Ocean Evans. an artificial satellite–would make it Township, the launch was a very possible to maintain wireless personal life changing event. For communications even during solar weeks they labored marathon hours flares or geomagnetic storms. There tracking this ‘invader’ from the was also interest in using such a system Soviet Union in TOP-SECRET. Using to track radio signals from the Soviet the tracking equipment at the Union and Eastern Europe early in the Site on Marconi Road and antennas Cold War, when diplomatic relations at Deal, they characterized the with the US were becoming rather Sputnik. Harold Jaffe and his team, Von Braun and Team at Peenemunde testy. Powerful radar receivers had including First Lieutenant Herb already been picking up stray radio Project Diana Hovey, operated special equipment signals from Europe and Japan during from the Countermeasures Division The Signal Corps opened up the space World War II–a phenomenon referred (later the Electronic Warfare age electronically by bouncing radio to as “anomalous propagation.” Laboratory) and became one of the signals off the moon from its Diana Plans were made for a system designed first teams to track and verify that radar at the Evans Signal Laboratory in to intercept Soviet radar signals by Sputnik was indeed successfully Wall Township, N.J., on Jan. 10, 1946. detecting the transmissions that launched. They accomplished this by The project was the first demonstration bounced off the Moon. This program, receiving the satellite’s 40-Mhz that artificially-created signals could codenamed "Joe," began making beacon and reported the results to the penetrate the ionosphere, opening the regular observations in August 1949. Pentagon. possibility of radio communications Within a year, "Joe" was made an beyond the Earth for space probes and official Navy intelligence program, the human explorers. Passive Moon Relay (PAMOR).

Sputnik Tracking

History changed on October 4, 1957, when the former Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I. Besides the bruising to national prestige it started the “Space Race”. A

part of the race was a push to ‘catch-up’ Diana Test Site with modified SCR-271 and exceed the Soviets in the fields of Antenna Harold Jaffe and the VHF DF Antenna space science and science education. used to track Sputnik 1

3 Project Score (Signal VANGUARD Communications by Orbital Relay The first major satellite payload Equipment) contribution was a demonstration of A prototype of the first the feasibility of solar converters for , Project satellites. That came with the SCORE (Signal Communications via launching of the Vanguard I on March Orbiting Relay Experiment), was 17, 1958. The Signal Research and successfully launched Dec. 18, 1958, Development Laboratory carrying from outer space President headquartered at Camp Evans Dwight D. Eisenhower's Christmas developed solar power devices (i.e. the message to people around the world. Vanguard 2 Sketch first use of solar cells) consisting of six cell clusters to power one of the two The Signal Corps Research and radio in the sphere. Development Laboratory at Fort Vanguard's initial orbit time was 135 Monmouth and Camp Evans also minutes. contributed special components or subsystems to the payloads developed by other organizations, such as high-frequency control crystals, special batteries, and high SCORE Communications Relay and efficiency, low voltage to high Recorder voltage transistor power converters.

The experiment effectively TIROS demonstrated the feasibility of world- To televise cloud formations within wide communications in delayed and belt several thousand miles wide real time mode by means of relatively Vanguard 1 Satellite around the earth and transmit a simple active satellite relays and series of pictures back to special provided valuable information for the Three minutes after the Vanguard I ground stations, the 270-pound design of later communications was launched at Cape Canaveral, Fla. TIROS (Television and Infra- Red satellites. The overall project was its signals were being picked up at the Observation Satellite) was launched conducted in such secrecy that only 88 laboratory's Deal, N.J., test station. In on April 1, 1960 by an Air Force people were aware of its existence. its first three years, Vanguard I vehicle. The first television-type Before the date of the SCORE launch, 53 traveled 409,257,000 miles in 11,786 satellite for world-wide cloud cover of the 88 people had been told the orbits. It proved itself invaluable in mapping was produced under Signal project had been canceled and they scientific computations. Corps technical supervision and were not to mention to anyone that it VANGUARD II NASA sponsorship. had ever existed. That left only 35 The second major satellite payload people who knew of the mission of Its two television cameras -- one a contribution was the complete Atlas 10B with the rest of the wide-angle lens photographing 800- electronics payload for the Vanguard engineering crew, including the launch mile squares of the earth's surface Cloud Cover Satellite, 1959 Alpha, crew, under the impression that they and the other shooting 30-mile launched on Feb. 17, 1959. Vanguard were working solely on a test launch of squares, ranging between the II, with infrared scanning devices to the rocket. latitudes of Montreal and New provide crude mapping of the earth's Zealand, were of different resolution SCORE was an Advanced Research cloud cover and a tape recorder to for direct readout and tape storage. Project Agency (ARPA) project carried store the information, operated That represented the most intricate out by the Signal Corps with the Air perfectly during the entire 20-day life control so far used in a satellite. After Force providing the Atlas launching of the battery power source. It made calibration, the initial data was vehicle. 211 orbits and was successfully down-linked to the TLM-18 ground interrogated 155 times to release the station at the Diana Site at Camp stored information. Evans.

4 Today, we take satellite The Marconigraph is the Newsletter communications for granted, and are of the Information Age Science History spoiled by the latest weather satellite Learning Center and Museum which is images we see on the nightly news. a 501 C (3) Non-Profit Corporation dedicated to preservation of Camp We need to remember the role the Evans. Membership is $25 per year for Army and its dedicated work force an individual and $45 per family. played in making these tremendous technical advances become every TRUSTEES: day occurrences that have enhanced Mike Ruane - CEO [email protected] our lives. Fred Carl - COO Tiros Antenna (left) and captured [email protected] German WWII Antenna at Camp Evans Our Satellite Dish as it looks today M. Claire French - Treasurer sitting outside out InfoAge Space The first orbit pictures were rushed to [email protected] Exploration Center (ISEC) Tom Crowley – Chair of the Board Washington on a new facsimile machine, also developed by the Signal [email protected] John T. Cervini – Vice Chair of the Corps Research and Development Board [email protected] Laboratory. It transmitted a high- quality picture to its destination in just Michael Smith four minutes. As a result, the first Jules Bellisio pictures from TIROS, and the first ever Dan Lieb satellite weather images, were on the Dan Marlow

President Eisenhower’s desk shortly George Newberry after they were received, and he Tom Sedergran personally released the information to Richard Shaklee Patricia Thecker the world. John Truhan We encourage you to stop by for a visit During its three months of operation, John Henry during our normal museum hours or TIROS sent down more than 22,952 Mike Meyers stop in for our monthly space pictures of cloud formations, depicting presentation. This month will be the world as man had never seen it. Membership: Lunar Exploration Since Apollo. Our John T. Cervini - Gloria C. Kudrick Although it was only an experimental speaker is Frank O’Brien, our NASA forerunner, TIROS I made some ambassador. It will be held from 2- For more information about InfoAge important discoveries and 4PM and we ask for a $10.00 donation and our Museums or to become a contributions to meteorological member or volunteer your time call per person. research. 732-280-3000.

TIROS II, launched Nov. 23, 1960, followed TIROS I to provide new and We also have a summer program for more comprehensive views of earth's children. It is our Space Exploration ever-changing weather patterns from Week. Children learn all about space, its vantage point some 400 miles in make projects and have fun at the space. The new, more definitive same time. Our first session Starts July pictures and data it gathered and 23rd and runs through July 27th. If you returned to earth provided a ground are interested visit our website at work for new giant strides in www.infoage.org for more Newsletter Editor – Gloria C. Kudrick meteorology and long-range weather information and the application. [email protected] forecasts. For the first time in history, Hope to see you come out and support meteorologists were able to observe The editor or InfoAge is not liable for any InfoAge! other use of the contents of this publication and ultimately track devastating hurricanes, dramatically reducing the loss of life from these terrible storms.

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InfoAge Display at IMS Philadelphia a Big Hit By Ray F. Chase

The Institute of Electrical & Steve and I concluded that the only Problems popped up along the way, Electronic Engineers (IEEE) way to make the display work would but they were deal with and by mid- organizes an annual International be to use most of the pieces from May we were on schedule. A Microwave Symposium (IMS) in InfoAge. To meet the June date a shipping crate was needed to protect

June. This year’s event was held at schedule had to be set up to complete the transmitter which Harry Klancer the Pennsylvania Convention the restoration of the transmitter unit, fabricated in a few days. I decided th Center in Philadelphia from June 9 clean up and prepare the other units that a crate was needed for the Zahl to June 16th. The program includes a and get them ready for shipment. We tube display signage which I made at

Historical Exhibit that is coordinated also agreed that I would supply the home along with shipping cartons for by The National Electronics VT-158, Zahl tube/TPS-3 display and the smaller items. The heavier units the PPS-4 Ground Surveillance Radar. being ruggedized for military field Museum (NEM) in MD. In 2009, InfoAge provided a historic display Steve would supply large poster use were deemed strong enough to be at IMS when it was held in Boston board interpretive displays and I shipped without crating or boxing. I although our participation was quite would supply individual artifact completed my share of the signage in modest. Last year we were offered signage. The radar units weigh quite the first week of June. the opportunity to exhibit at a bit and would need heavy duty Philadelphia, but I was not then able supports. Fortunately, I had salvaged to commit the time to it. I maintain two aluminum HVAC support a regular relationship with NEM structures from 9010A when new and this January I was at NEM HVAC systems were installed. The during a radio meet and discussed intent was to repurpose them as display tables for a future radar their anticipated program with the coordinator, Steve Stitzer. Steve museum. These needed to be cleaned wanted to highlight the 80th up and modified with table tops. anniversary of the first demonstration of the SCR-268, the Help was provided, mostly by the Army’s first radar but said NEM Wednesday RTM work crew who only had two pieces of the radar, a pitched in. The transmitter unit was Our Four Tables in the Center of the receiver and an indicator and they brought to the RTM repair shop from Exhibit Area were not in very presentable my garage and various people helped condition. I offered to send Steve a with the tube connection devices, the list of what was available at InfoAge filament transformer restoration, between what I have and what has clean-up of receivers plus other units been accumulated by InfoAge. This and a major job of cleaning the HVAC is probably the largest collection of frames and installing and painting SCR-268 artifacts anywhere. table tops. Meanwhile, some missing Included from my own collection is parts of the transmitter were the unique 16 tube Ring Oscillator fabricated in my basement workshop. transmitter which to my knowledge A missing modulator pulse network, is the only one in existence. I have part of the filament transformer been intermittently working on its assembly, was reproduced from Ray Chase at the Exhibit restoration for several years after vintage parts that I had or managed to finding it about ten years ago in an scrounge up. abandoned warehouse in Boonton, NJ.

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NEM coordinated the shipping Occasionally I spoke with some of InfoAge Wish List with a professional show the guests to add insight to the 2 Golf Carts management company and my displays. Gator Carry All twenty items arrived at the Power Auger convention center on Saturday June In addition to our displays, The Pallet Jack 9th. I did most of the set-up on Sarnoff Collection from Ewing, NJ Forklift Saturday and returned on Sunday to had a small display with Sarnoff Lawn Mowers – Push & Riding complete attaching the signage. I artifacts and some 1920 RCA radios. Snow Blowers shared one display case with NEM NEM brought their standard cases of where I displayed two very early early microwave tubes and devices

magnetrons that I recently acquired that are brought to all IMS events.

along with some of my SCR-268 Tech This project did not cost InfoAge any Manuals. NEM had created about funding and provided great eight 2 x 3-foot poster boards relating exposure and prestige for us. We to the SCR-268 and SCR-270 radars. have established a very positive

These were set up on large display working relationship with NEM that boards to “bookend” the table puts us in league with the premier

displays in the center of the room. electronics museum in the country. Steve works for Northrop Grumman Finally, upon return, the display just down the road from NEM so has items are finished and ready to access to a professional graphic arts install in our own radar museum department. He is going to send me when space is available. I am Commissioning a full-color tile is a great

digital copies of the posters, so we pleased that this endeavor went so way to say thank you to a veteran or family member. The hall of Honor is can produce duplicates for InfoAge. well and could not have completed located in the central hallway of the The Historical Display section was in it without help from many NJARC historic WW2 H-building complex, on a public area just off the main members and Pat Flanagan. the Camp Evans National Historic corridor between registration Landmark, the InfoAge Hall of Honor is /meeting rooms and the Industry an excellent place to display your custom Exhibit main floor. Seminars and tile. You supply the photos and text, and workshop sessions were scheduled we’ll create your unique custom from Saturday the 9th straight thru to tile. Take it home or allow us to display ‘ Friday the 15th so there was traffic it in our Hall of Honor. The cost to through the historical exhibit for commission a tile is $250, and additional

seven days. The main floor of 600 copies can be made for $100 each. You plus Industrial Exhibitors was open will have the opportunity auto approve your tile’s design. from Tuesday to Thursday and those

days saw the heaviest traffic. Plenty Call 732-280-3000 today to reserve your of InfoAge and NJARC brochures tile or use this Link for the Tile order along with RTM and InfoAge The BC-407-A Transmitter Display form business cards were provided for visitors. The historical display was by design unattended and could be New Jersey Antique Radio accessed by anyone, but it was on the Club’s second floor and security was always Summer Swap Meet – July 21st

present. In all, I made five trips to 8am – 12pm Philadelphia to cover the set-up, tear $5.00 per person. down and spend some time touring the industrial exhibits. 2201 Marconi Road

Wall, NJ 07719 Whenever I was in the Historical The Zahl Tube Display Display area I noted that the InfoAge Contact – Richard 914-589-3751 exhibits garnered the most interest

especially the transmitter unit.

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InfoAge Science/History Center at Camp Evans, Wall NJ

InfoAge Science History Learning Center and Museum 2201 Marconi Road ● Wall ● NJ ● 07719 732-280-3000 ● www.InfoAge.org

The Newsletter of InfoAge Inside this Issue….

● Founder, Director and COO, Fred Carl Receives Award ● Internet Archeology ● Army in Space – The Early Years ● InfoAge Display at IMS Philadelphia a Big Hit! ●InfoAge Happenings

Save the Dates

Spaceflight Lecture Series NJARC Summer Swap Meet Last Sunday of Each Month July 21st 8am – 12pm 2300 Marconi Road 2201 Marconi Road Wall, NJ 07719 Wall NJ 07719

Space Exploration Week July 23rd – 27th 2300 Marconi Road Wall, NJ 07719

For more information about these events, such as admission costs and times, call 732-280-3000 or visit us online at www.infoage.org

The Information Age Learning Center (InfoAge) received a General Operating Support Grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the State Department