[time-nuts] Cambrideg Thermionics & Freq Measurements...

Stan, W1LE stanw1le at verizon.net
Sat Oct 15 15:41:33 UTC 2011


Hello The Net:

The frequency measurement division broke off, but was still in Cambridge 
in ~2007.

I got a call from them about a 19 KHz pilot tone generator that was off 
freq at a
FM/NCE station on Cape Cod. After replacing the Optimod ($100) xtal, all 
was fine.

I will eventually think of that organizations name, but for now the POC 
was Richard.
Yes, his techniques were cryptic, but I doubt if his techniques exceeded 
the capability of any time
or freq nut's capability.

I would start with a search at SBE for such freq measurement organizations.

Stan, W1LE     Cape Cod    FN41sr



On 10/15/2011 10:57 AM, J. Forster wrote:
> Cambridge Thermionic was on Concord Ave, just east of the Fresh Pond
> circle. The building is now a storage warehouse.
>
> They were mostly making screw-machine components by the early 60s. They
> had a vast array of stake-in terminals and similar stuff. Very good
> product, IMO. You could get damn near anything you could imagine in
> terminals from them, uninsulated and insulated.
>
> They also made a bunch of other electronic hardware like coil forms.
> Again, very good quality.
>
> The other thing they made was thermoelectric heat pumps and products using
> them, like small "ice bath" references for thermocouples. I suspect this
> was related to their expertise with ceramic-metal attachment.
>
> At some point (70s? 80s? 90s?) they moved someplace else and changed their
> name to Cambion.
>
> Best,
>
> -John
>
> ============
>
>
>> Les,
>>
>> I do sort of remember Cambridge Thermionics.  I came across their
>> name back in the late 60's or early 70's when I first got in the
>> frequency measurement "business".  I think I also remember seeing
>> their name as a parts supplier in some WW-2 military radio manuals.
>>
>> Burt
>>
>>> From: "Lester Veenstra"<lester at veenstras.com>
>>>
>>> Bert:
>>>      I wonder if you happen to remember a company called Cambridge
>>> Thermionics.  Located in Cambridge MA, they made ceramic slug tuned coil
>>> s
>>> but in one corner was an individual with the off air frequency measuring
>>> service.  As a duty engineer up the read at WCOP in Lexington, I
>>> frequently
>>> would get calls from him to tick a dummy plug in the modulator input
>>> patch
>>> (turning the board gain down was too much residual noise), so he could
>>> measure us, and more often, to remove the carrier for a few seconds so
>>> you
>>> could measure some one co-channel. He never wanted to talk about how it
>>> did
>>> it, and absolute would not accept visitors who might learn his dark trade
>>> secrets.
>>>
>>>       I had assumed that these days a GPSDO would remove the need for the
>>> monthly "freq service" but I guess not.
>>>
>>> I stood my last midwatch at COP and reported to the Boston Army station
>>> for
>>> induction into the USN the next morning.
>>>
>>> 73   Les
>> Burt I. Weiner Associates
>> Broadcast Technical Services
>> Glendale, California  U.S.A.
>> biwa at att.net
>> www.biwa.cc
>> K6OQK
>>
>>
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>
>
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