FIRST in electronics.  "In the very beginning, the Electronics Industry - as we know it today - was born in General Electric.  While this has not been as widely publicized as it might be, those of us who were there at the time will not question the statement."  The quotation is from an address to an industry-wide audience by John J. Farrell on the occasion of the Old Timers Reunion, June 24, 1961, sponsored by the General Electric Quarter Century Club, Syracuse Chapter.  Mr. Farrell was a GE radio pioneer who worked for the Company from 1913 until his retirement in 1962.

EARLY GE FIRSTS

• FIRST to demonstrate to the FCC that FM could be used on the 40 kHz channels already established for AM communication in the 30 to 40 MHz band and that FM had definite advantages over AM apparatus already in use in the band.  (Schenectady - Albany Tests,  September, 1939.)
• FIRST Single-unit-housing Mobile unit - the MC 202 high-band (152-162 MHz) set,  (January, 1947)
• FIRST to provide a receiver with high front-end RF selectivity.  Low Band, 25-50 MHz,  (April, 1949)
• FIRST to demonstrate narrow band (20 kHz) versus wide band to the FCC at Electronics Park.  (April, 1949)
• FIRST to use Quartz crystals as a front-end filter.  (October, 1951) 
• FIRST to offer narrow band (+5 kHz swing) equipment.  (April, 1954)
• FIRST to eliminate carbon microphones in Land-Mobile Radio and 
• FIRST to use controlled-reluctance (high fidelity) microphones, (April, 1954)
• FIRST life-time guarantee on Quartz crystals,  (April, 1954)

THE PROGRESS LINE - (March, 1955)

• FIRST to offer modular construction for highest degree of chassis interchangeability between mobiles and stations.
• FIRST 100-watt mobile unit.
• FIRST 330-watt Low-Band and High-Band stations.  (March, 1958) 250-watt UHF stations.  (December, 1957)
• FIRST to offer simultaneous monitoring in a two-frequency receiver or a receiver with second front end,  (1957)
• FIRST 15 kHz (tertiary channel) High-Band installation.  Gocrete - Dallas, Texas.  (October, 1959)      
• FIRST dial mobile telephone.  (Delcambre, La. Telephone Co. - 1958) 
• FIRST duplex mobile telephone.  (NY Telephone Co. - March, 1961)  
• FIRST six-channel dial MTS terminal system. (NY Telephone Co. Buffalo - 1962)
• FIRST fully transistorized receiver - the Progress Line Portable - made possible by GE Tetrode transistors. (April, 1958)

TRANSISTORIZED PROGRESS LINE - (June, 1959)

• FIRST transistorized exciter in a Mobile transmitter. (TPL-June 1959)
• FIRST 0.0005% frequency stability without the use of crystal ovens. (TPL-June 1959)
• FIRST Solid-State, no reeds, tone-coded squelch. (TPL-December, 1962) 

VOICE COMMANDER - (September, (1962)

• FIRST "Personal" portable unit.
• FIRST Solid-state transmitter. 

PORTA-MOBIL - (April, 1964)

• FIRST Solid-state 10 watt transmitter in a portable radio.
• FIRST All solid-state motorcycle radio. (May, 1965) 

THE MASTR PROFESSIONAL SERIES - (June. 1964)

• FIRST transistorized base stations.
• FIRST built-in voltage regulation.
• FIRST use of silicon transistors in Land Mobile Equipment.
• FIRST thermistor-compensated oscillators completely eliminating crystal warmers and ovens.
• FIRST major manufacturer to use a Quartz crystal filter in the high-IF amplifier of the receiver, thus providing adjacent-channel selectivity "up front."
• FIRST pilot-light dimmer.
• FIRST RF noise-blanker in both Low and High-Band receivers. 
• FIRST high-power, 450 MHz mobile unit, 60 watt. (January, 1965.) 

THE MASTR EXECUTIVE SERIES - (December, 1965)

• FIRST 1/4-microvolt sensitivity in a High-Band receiver.
• FIRST 90 dB two-signal, adjacent-channel receiver selectivity.

THE TCC REMOTE CONTROL - (December, 1965)

• FIRST transistorized remote control console.

THE XCC REMOTE CONTROL - (August. 1966)

• FIRST remote control unit with audible tone frequencies in binary logic rather than DC signaling for remote base station control.

THE MASTR ROYAL PROFESSIONAL AND ROYAL EXECUTIVE SERIES - SOLID STATE EQUIPMENT FOR LOW-BAND AND HIGH-BAND - (December, 1967)

• FIRST fully-protected, continuous-duty capability, solid-state final power amplifier in a Land-Mobile transmitter (computer¬like sensing and control network).
• FIRST mobile unit with a built-in Reflectometer to indicate for¬ward and reverse power on the ordinary DC test meter.
• FIRST two-year warranty on transistors. FIRST solid-state UHF mobile unit.  (18 watts-Royal Executive)
• FIRST use of integrated circuitry in Land-Mobile Radio equipment, the ICOM (Integrated Circuit Oscillator Module) for 0.0002% frequency stability.  (February, 1967)

FIRST UHF solid-state motorcycle radio.  (The 7.5 watt Porta-Mobil. August, 1968)

FIRST two-frequency receiver with "priority" sequential monitoring; continuous monitoring of two channels with priority accorded by the setting of the Fl, F2 switch on the Control Head.  PSLM (Priority Search Lock Monitoring) a GE exclusive.  (MASTR Professional and Royal Professional Progress Line-August, 1968)

THE MASTR PERSONAL "PR" SERIES FOR THE HIGH BAND AND THE UHF BAND -(March, 1969)

• FIRST "plug-in" mobile unit.  A hand-held personal radio which can also serve as a mobile unit when plugged into a dashboard receptacle.
• FIRST High-power transmitter in a hand-held unit - 4-1/2 watts High Band, 2 watts UHF Band.
• FIRST high performance, single-conversion Superheterodyne receiver, in Land-Mobile Radio history,
• FIRST use of thick-film integrated circuits in transmitter, receiver and tone modules,
• FIRST Quartz crystal discriminator.
• FIRST advanced Nickel-Cadmium battery chargers:
  • (a)  FIRST automatic switch-over to trickle charge
  • (b)  FIRST fast charger (15 minutes to 70% level or charge).
•  FIRST 0.0002% frequency stability in a hand-held unit.
• high-speed, high-resolution receiver "voting" system based on 1-to-noise ratio,  (July, 1970)

THE MASTR PERSONAL "PE" SERIES  - (August, 1970)

• FIRST "twist on" power supply.
• FIRST automatic control of transmitter power output.
• FIRST eight-channel operating capability (VHF & UHF).  (January, 1972)
• FIRST Search Lock Monitor in a personal radio set; scan two channels with a single multi-frequency receiver.  (June, 1973)

MASTR IMPERIAL - (FEBRUARY, 1972):

• FIRST transmitter power amplifier with no tuning adjustments (UHF model).
• FIRST mobile transmitter with adjustable power output. 

THE MASTR II SERIES - (OCTOBER, 1972):

• FIRST unit to meet full performance specifications over the temperature range -40° to +70°C (EIA standard is -30° to +60°C).
• FIRST solid-state mobile unit with standard, uninhibited plus and minus ground operational capability.
• FIRST eight-channel capability in a standard production unit. FIRST channel "Busy" indicator.
• FIRST plug-in, interchangeable, 0.0005% or 0.0002% oscillator nodules.
• FIRST high power audio output: 12 watts @ 3% distortion and inherent public address option.

FIRST computer-controlled, land-mobile radio system. (Toronto, Ontario Police Radio System.  Operational test phase - Summer, 1973,)

John A. McCormick 
11/9/73
nc

ECX 371C