Radio-Electronics

"Radio-Electronics" magazine was published under various titles from 1929 to 2002. Hugo Gernsback started it as "Radio-Craft" in 1929. The title was changed to "Radio-Electronics" in 1948 and in 1992 the name was changed to "Electronics Now" and after 1999 it was merged with "Popular Electronics" to become "Poptronics". Gernsback Publications went out of business in December 2002.

Hugo Gernsback

In 1904 Hugo Gernsback established Electro Importing Company to sell radio components and electrical supplies by mail order. The catalogs had detailed instructions on projects like a wireless telegraph outfit and were the predecessor of his first magazine, "Modern Electrics" (April 1908). In May 1913 he started another magazine, The "Electrical Experimenter". Gernsback was an enthusiastic supporter of amateur radio. Gernsback stated a magazine devoted to radio, "Radio Amateur News" (July 1919.) The title was shortened to "Radio News" in July 1920. [cite journal
author = T. R. Kennedy
year = 1958 | month = April
title = From Coherer to Spacistor
journal = Radio-Electronics
volume = 29 | issue = 4 | pages = pp 45–59
publisher = Gernsback Publications, Inc ]

"Radio News" was a very successful magazine that enabled Hugo Gernsback and his brother Sidney to build a publishing empire." Amazing Stories" was introduced in April 1926 and was the first magazine devoted to science fiction. In 1925 they launched the radio station WRNY. This was the first radio station to broadcast experimental television starting in 1928.

In February 1929 Gernsback was forced into bankruptcy. See Experimenter Publishing bankruptcy. Everything was sold to pay off the creditors. [cite journal
quotes = Bankruptcy de luxe
title = Curtis Follows Hearst
journal = Time Magazine | publisher = Time
date = 8 April 1929
url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,732245-2,00.html
accessdate = 2007-05-30 ] At the last court proceeding in April 1929, Hugo Gernsback announced a new publishing company. "Mr. Gernsback said after the hearing that his new magazines would be Radio Craft, Science Wonder Stories and Air Wonder Stories and that the first issues would be out in June." [cite news
title = Gernsbacks Deny Diverting Assets
work = New York Times
page = 13
date = 1929-04-18 ]

Radio Electronics

"Radio-Electronics" was aimed at electronics professionals such as radio and TV repairmen. The audience was mainly males, with the tagline on the cover in the 1970s reading "For Men with Ideas in Electronics".

Around 1971, many authors who used to contribute to "Popular Electronics" started writing for Radio-Electronics. There was some competition in digital logic projects between "Radio-Electronics" and "Popular Electronics". In September 1973, "Radio-Electronics" published Don Lancaster's "TV Typewriter" and in July 1974 it published Jon Titus's "Mark-8 Personal Minicomputer". However, "Popular Electronics" published the most famous project in January 1975 with the MITS Altair 8800 computer.

After "Popular Electronics" went under after attempting to become a computer magazine in the early 1980s, "Radio-Electronics" published many eye-catching feature projects like a series on cable TV descramblers. Some projects were designed by kit manufacturers like PAiA Electronics, North Country Radio, Information Unlimited, Almost All Digital Electronics, and Ramsey Electronics.

References

Further reading

cite journal
author = Hugo Gernsback
year = 1932
month = March
title = The Old E.I.C. Days
journal = Radio-Craft
volume = 9
issue = 9
pages = pp 572–575, 630–64
publisher = Radcraft Publications, Inc

cite journal
author = T. R. Kennedy
year = 1958
month = April
title = From Coherer to Spacistor
journal = Radio-Electronics
volume = 29
issue = 4
pages = pp 45–59
publisher = Gernsback Publications, Inc

cite journal
author = Fred Shunaman
year = 1979
month = October
title = 50 Years of Electronics as seen through the pages of Radio-Electronics
journal = Radio-Electronics
volume = 50
issue = 10
pages = pp 42–69
publisher = Gernsback Publications, Inc