On Wed, 02 Aug 2006 11:18:07 -0400, Walter Maxwell
wrote:


During the period between 1958-59 I designed the entire antenna system and
matching harness for the World's first weather satellite, TIROS 1, which was
launched April 1, 1960.


Walt,
Could you please tell me a little more about that satellite? Reason I
ask is there is a place I am sure you can enlighten us on, called Camp
Evans.
I know there is still a big dish antenna there, although the wooden
structure surrounding it is failing. Supposedly it was used for
communicating with Tiros. Is that right?

A NJ radio club had a hamfest there in April, and I was able to walk
under the antenna and they have some displays there. Supposedly Camp
Evans was also the place where the first signals were bounced off the
moon, somewhere around 1946.
Camp Evans looks like at least parts of it are being renovated.
Brookdale Comm. College has some classrooms there, very modern.
Oh yes, and on the road leading to Camp Evans (Marconi Road !!) there
is a display of the top portion of one of Marconi's towers, and a
plaque noting that there were many such towers in the area in the
early 1900s.
Quite a bit of radio history, in these parts of New Jersey, and I am
glad to know one of the pioneers frequents this newsgroup.
Not far away, in Holmdel, is where AT&T communicated with Telstar, I
believe, about the same time period. The Holmdel facility, home to
6000 Bell Labs employees as recently as1999 has been sold and is going
to be demolished.

Rick K2XT