Copyrighted. Rights are owned by History San Jose. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the Copyright Holder. In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Rights Holder and Contact
History San Jose
Description
Extended interview of radio engineer Haraden Pratt, who was an amateur operator in San Francisco in the early 1900s and studied engineering at U.C. Berkeley, where he built the university's first radio station in 1914. Pratt worked at Mare Island Navy Yard, as well as Federal Telegraph Company, as chief engineer in the 1920s. Morgan used source material from these interviews with Pratt for her book, "Electronics in the West," published in 1967. The interview covers Pratt's personal story, but also the history of amateur radio, naval communications, and the early electronics industry in the San Francisco Bay Area. Part 1: Pratt discusses his childhood as the son of telegraph operators in San Francisco; the amateur wireless community pre-1914; early wireless telegraphy development; his student days at U.C. Berkeley; Federal Telegraph. Part 2: Formation of De Forest Pioneers; post as Telecommunications Advisor to the President; work with Department of Commerce; future of scientific communication, invention, and collaboration in era of moral decline; super-heterodyne development (Armstrong, Levy); vacuum tube technology evolution; Marconi’s contributions to radio; radar in late 1920s-1930s. Part 3: First ship-to-shore communication by Marconi; wireless telegraph industry in San Francisco Bay Area, including Federal Telegraph; growing up as a boy in turn-of-the-century San Francisco; uncle was involved in early stagecoach lines and became Assistant General Manager of Southern Pacific; wiring houses for Paul Siler; de Forest’s oscillator discovery with Logwood and Van Etten; de Forest and RCA. Part 4: Armstrong, de Forest and RCA continued; future of electronics industry; advice for young men who want to become engineers; curriculum and teacher training required to train new generation. The interview ends at 26:34. The recording continues at 27:30 whereupon Pratt delivers an “informal and brief resume of the history of the Federal Telegraph Company.“
History San Jose California Revealed is supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
