[QuadList] FW: bosch quads--Basic details

[Ted Langdell]

On Aug 29, 2009, at 10:42 AM, Trevor Brown wrote:

> Strange see a quad full of Bosch modules
> I think they were made under license to Ampex
> before Bosch came up with the slant track format.
>
> Never seen one in real life just the photo's
>
> Trevor


Welcome to the list, Trevor.

Bosch and RCA had good relations, through which RCA's patents were  
licensed by Bosch.

With that came the limited use of Ampex's patented technology— 
primarily the FM modulation scheme—that RCA had obtained the right to  
use in the fall of 1957 in exchange for RCA's color recording/recovery  
methods.

The limits kept Bosh from making more than a few machines a year...  
something like 15 or 20, if I recall the Fernsehmuseum text correctly.

So if you seem to see RCA influences in the BCM-40 pictured— 
particularly the variable speed cuing knob in the center of the motion  
control panel—that's likely to be a result of the RCA connection.

And that connection was extended back to the US when Visual  
Electronics acquired deckplates, headwheel panels and other mechanical  
assemblies for Quads from Bosch, and then designed its own electronics  
packages in conjunction with entertainer Steve Allen's Allen  
Electronics, of "Allenized" fame.

I'm working up a webpage on the VA series of quad machines based on  
recollections provided by Al Sturm, who worked at Visual after Ampex,  
and later founded Merlin Engineering Works with John Sheets.

Al's president of Wideband Videolabs in San Jose, and last week was a  
principal in two presentations at AMIA's  "The Reel Thing" tech  
symposium in LA.
http://www.amianet.org/events/thereelthing/speakers09.html#sturm

Don Norwood has provided several Merlin VA series Quad sales  
literature items (Thanks) that we'll be including in the pages.


Ted Langdell
Secretary
Skype: 	TedLangdell
e-mail:	ted at quadvideotapegroup.com