The Bell System's Microwave Radio and Coaxial Cable Networks

Documents

Historical and Commemorative Publications

• Richmond [VA] District 1929-1979 (10 MB PDF file)

AT&T's First Microwave Radio Route

• "The Latest Word in Communications"
  In 1947, AT&T inaugurated an experimental microwave radio link, connecting Boston and New York City. This brochure was published by the Long Lines Department to describe the system's technology and facilities. (16 pp.)
  Document courtesy of Mr. Sheldon Hochheiser, Corporate Historian, AT&T.
• "Seven Towers on Seven Hilltops"
  A 1947 magazine advertisement announcing the Boston - New York link, featuring a photo of a relay station.

Microwave Radio Equipment and Operations

Early Microwave Towers

Advertisement showing concrete radio-relay tower
From the October 1951 issue of Atlantic Monthly magazine.

The Coast-to-Coast Radio Channel Evaluation Test

Beginning in August of 1967, the Long Lines Department conducted a test to measure the performance of AT&T's TD-2 microwave radio equipment in a coast-to-coast link.

Selected pages from the test report

• Introduction
• Channel assignments p. 1 (These pages list the 122 stations on the test route)
• Channel assignments p. 2
• Channel assignments p. 3
• Conclusions p. 1
• Conclusions p. 2

Notes on terminology:

TVS stands for television section, a category of radio route. It consisted of one or more video units in tandem. A video unit was all of the radio facilities between either: two television operating centers, or between a television operating center and a radio junction point. A television operating center was a control point for AT&T's transmission of TV network programming. A radio junction point was a microwave station where several radio routes converged/diverged.

System Configuration

• Cable and radio routes, circa 1951
  From "Audels Television Service Manual", by E.P. Anderson (New York, Theo. Audel & Co., 1951)
  Note: The text does not explicitly identify this as an AT&T network map. It is believed to be such, based on available information about AT&T's cable and radio routes of the era.
• AUTOVON switching centers in the continental US, Sep. 1979
• AUTOVON switching centers in the continental US, undated, showing switch types
  From the archives of the Defense Information Systems Agency, binder titled "AUTOVON".
• Eastern Region BSRF Diagram
  Shows how the Bell System Reference Frequency was distributed over the coaxial-cable network in the eastern United States
• List of AT&T sites having Solar gas turbines
• New York Philadelphia Cross Section, Fundamental Planning document

The WT4 Long-Distance Buried Waveguide System

• "Millimeter Waveguide Scores High in Field Test"
  From the November 1975 issue of the Bell Laboratories Record. (8 pp.)
• Excerpts from "Engineering and Operations in the Bell System"
  Thanks to Matthew Sadler, KF4LHP, for providing the above documents.
  Visit Matthew's Microwave Radio and Telephony web site.
  
• Magazine advertisement from 1971

Protection Against Nuclear Blasts

• Nuclear Design Loads (5 pp.)
• Personnel Radiation Exposure Record form
• "Operation Survival" - article from the Bell Labs Record
  as reprinted in the August 1969 issue of Electronics World
• Long Lines Plans for Survivable Communications
• Civil Defense in Long Lines (March 1971)
• Civil Defense Shelter Requirements (March 1971)
• Civil Defense Radiological Monitoring (March 1971)
• Shelter Operation and Supplies (March 1971)
• Civil Defense Instructions from Hanover, PA microwave station
• Electromagnetic Pulse Threats to U.S. Civilian and Military Infrastructure
  Transcript of Congressional hearing, Oct. 7, 1999

The Solar Saturn Gas Turbine Alternator

The standard Bell System emergency power source, deployed 1963-1966.

Descriptive Brochure

• Cover
• Page 1
• Page 2
• Page 3
• Page 4
• Page 5
• Page 6
• Page 7
• Page 8

Cutaway drawing of engine

Coaxial Cable Technology

• Advertisement: "Send help to Manhole 83"
  From the September 1947 issue of Radio News magazine.
• Photograph of an L-5 cable splice before closure

Television Networks

• Networks for Television, cover story from Radio News magazine, November 1947
• Advertisement showing television switching panel, from Radio & Television News magazine, May 1957

Miscellaneous

• Bell System Practice: Sweeping, General (A classic from 1952; the definitive treatise on floor sweeping. 3 pp.)
• "National Defense Imposes Great Responsibilities"
  from the Winter 1957-1958 issue of Bell Telephone magazine
• Communications and Defense
  from the Spring 1958 issue of Bell Telephone magazine
• Postcard of Bell Telephone pavilion at 1964-1965 New York World's Fair
• A Bell System Shoe Store?

Updated on November 15, 2011 at 23:47 by Albert LaFrance