Electronics Illustrated
Encyclopedia
Electronics Illustrated was an American magazine started in May 1958 by Fawcett Publications
, the publishers of Mechanix Illustrated
. The magazine was published monthly from 1959 to 1961 then bi-monthly until November 1972. Charles Tepfer was the first editor and Robert Beason was the editor for rest of the magazine's run (1961 -1972).
Ziff-Davis success with Popular Electronics
magazine showed there was a market for electronics hobbyist magazines and the launch of the Sputnik satellite in 1957 had increased the public's interest in science and technology. Electronics Illustrated (EI) was targeted for this hobbyist and do-it-yourself audience.
The cover of the second issue had a 6 feet (1.8 m) rocket built in a basement workshop. To promote amateur rocketry
the U.S. Army began a series titled "Build a Safe Model Missile." Model rockets appeared on the covers and in articles for several years. The space race
between the United States and the Soviet Union lead many hobbyists into amateur rocketry. In the late 1960s Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems
(MITS) was formed to sell instrumentation to rocket hobbyist. They were unsuccessful at that venture but later created the Altair 8800
computer kit that sparked the home computer revolution.
The construction projects in Electronics Illustrated were assembled and checked by the editors. The articles had numerous photos and always included a wiring diagram in addition to the schematic. The projects were not as complex as those in other magazine but they appealed to the beginner. The magazine also had introductory theory articles in every issue.
Radio was another focus of the magazine with many articles on Citizens Band
(CB), Amateur Radio
and Short Wave Listening
(SWL)
Robert Hertzberg began an amateur radio column, The Ham Shack, in April 1961. Hertzberg got his license in 1919 and had been writing about amateur radio ever since. The column was taken over by Wayne Greene, the publisher of 73 magazine
, as early as 1970.
In the final years of magazine, Tom Kneitel wrote a column in Electronics Illustrated that was similar to Tom McCahill
column in Mechanix Illustrated.
Fawcett discontinued Electronics Illustrated with the November 1972 issue and some of the content was continued in Mechanix Illustrated. The circulation was 300,000 but Fawcett claimed there was a shrinking market for electronics magazines and they wanted to focus on the larger Mechanix Illustrated audience of 1.5 million readers. This followed Ziff-Davis's merger of Electronics World with Popular Electronics in January 1972.
Fawcett Publications
Fawcett Publications was an American publishing company founded in 1919 in Robbinsdale, Minnesota by Wilford Hamilton "Captain Billy" Fawcett . At the age of 16, Fawcett ran away from home to join the Army, and the Spanish-American War took him to the Philippines. Back in Minnesota, he became a...
, the publishers of Mechanix Illustrated
Mechanix Illustrated
Mechanix Illustrated was an American magazine founded in the first half of the 20th century to compete against the older Popular Science and Popular Mechanics...
. The magazine was published monthly from 1959 to 1961 then bi-monthly until November 1972. Charles Tepfer was the first editor and Robert Beason was the editor for rest of the magazine's run (1961 -1972).
Ziff-Davis success with Popular Electronics
Popular Electronics
Popular Electronics was an American magazine started by Ziff-Davis Publishing in October 1954 for electronics hobbyists and experimenters. It soon became the "World's Largest-Selling Electronics Magazine". The circulation was 240,151 in April 1957 and 400,000 by 1963. Ziff-Davis published Popular...
magazine showed there was a market for electronics hobbyist magazines and the launch of the Sputnik satellite in 1957 had increased the public's interest in science and technology. Electronics Illustrated (EI) was targeted for this hobbyist and do-it-yourself audience.
The cover of the second issue had a 6 feet (1.8 m) rocket built in a basement workshop. To promote amateur rocketry
Model rocket
A model rocket is a small rocket that is commonly advertised as being able to be launched by anybody, to, in general, low altitudes and recovered by a variety of means....
the U.S. Army began a series titled "Build a Safe Model Missile." Model rockets appeared on the covers and in articles for several years. The space race
Space Race
The Space Race was a mid-to-late 20th century competition between the Soviet Union and the United States for supremacy in space exploration. Between 1957 and 1975, Cold War rivalry between the two nations focused on attaining firsts in space exploration, which were seen as necessary for national...
between the United States and the Soviet Union lead many hobbyists into amateur rocketry. In the late 1960s Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems
Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems
Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems was an American electronics company founded in Albuquerque, New Mexico that began manufacturing electronic calculators in 1971 and personal computers in 1975. Ed Roberts and Forrest Mims founded MITS in December 1969 to produce miniaturized telemetry...
(MITS) was formed to sell instrumentation to rocket hobbyist. They were unsuccessful at that venture but later created the Altair 8800
Altair 8800
The MITS Altair 8800 was a microcomputer design from 1975 based on the Intel 8080 CPU and sold by mail order through advertisements in Popular Electronics, Radio-Electronics and other hobbyist magazines. The designers hoped to sell only a few hundred build-it-yourself kits to hobbyists, and were...
computer kit that sparked the home computer revolution.
The construction projects in Electronics Illustrated were assembled and checked by the editors. The articles had numerous photos and always included a wiring diagram in addition to the schematic. The projects were not as complex as those in other magazine but they appealed to the beginner. The magazine also had introductory theory articles in every issue.
Radio was another focus of the magazine with many articles on Citizens Band
Citizens' band radio
Citizens' Band radio is, in many countries, a system of short-distance radio communications between individuals on a selection of 40 channels within the 27-MHz band. Citizens' Band is distinct from the FRS, GMRS, MURS and amateur radio...
(CB), Amateur Radio
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
and Short Wave Listening
Shortwave listening
Shortwave listening is the hobby of listening to shortwave radio broadcasts located on frequencies between 1700 kHz and 30 MHz. Listeners range from casual users seeking international news and entertainment programming to hobbyists immersed in the technical aspects of radio reception and DXing...
(SWL)
Robert Hertzberg began an amateur radio column, The Ham Shack, in April 1961. Hertzberg got his license in 1919 and had been writing about amateur radio ever since. The column was taken over by Wayne Greene, the publisher of 73 magazine
73 (magazine)
73 Magazine was a United States-based amateur radio magazine that was published from 1960 to 2003. It was known for its strong emphasis on technical articles and for the lengthy editorials in each issue by its founder and publisher, Wayne Green...
, as early as 1970.
In the final years of magazine, Tom Kneitel wrote a column in Electronics Illustrated that was similar to Tom McCahill
Tom McCahill
Thomas Jay McCahill III was an automotive journalist, born the grandson of a wealthy attorney in Larchmont, New York. McCahill graduated from Yale University with a degree in fine arts....
column in Mechanix Illustrated.
Fawcett discontinued Electronics Illustrated with the November 1972 issue and some of the content was continued in Mechanix Illustrated. The circulation was 300,000 but Fawcett claimed there was a shrinking market for electronics magazines and they wanted to focus on the larger Mechanix Illustrated audience of 1.5 million readers. This followed Ziff-Davis's merger of Electronics World with Popular Electronics in January 1972.
See also
- Popular magazines
- Popular MechanicsPopular MechanicsPopular Mechanics is an American magazine first published January 11, 1902 by H. H. Windsor, and has been owned since 1958 by the Hearst Corporation...
- Popular SciencePopular SciencePopular Science is an American monthly magazine founded in 1872 carrying articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. Popular Science has won over 58 awards, including the ASME awards for its journalistic excellence in both 2003 and 2004...
- Popular ElectronicsPopular ElectronicsPopular Electronics was an American magazine started by Ziff-Davis Publishing in October 1954 for electronics hobbyists and experimenters. It soon became the "World's Largest-Selling Electronics Magazine". The circulation was 240,151 in April 1957 and 400,000 by 1963. Ziff-Davis published Popular...
- Poptronics
- Popular Mechanics
- Electronics Now
- Radio-ElectronicsRadio-ElectronicsRadio-Electronics was an American electronics magazine that was published under various titles from 1929 to 2003. Hugo Gernsback started it as Radio-Craft in July 1929. The title was changed to Radio-Electronics in October 1948 and again to Electronics Now in July 1992. In January 2000 it was...