Keneth Alden Simons
Encyclopedia
Keneth Alden Simons was an American electrical engineer best known for his pioneering contributions to the technical development of cable television
in the United States, for the most part as chief engineer for the Jerrold Electronics Corporation
. Jerrold was one of the first manufacturers of cable television
equipment and also constructed entire cable systems. Simons designed one of the first converters and the two most important pieces of the early test equipment, the Model 704 Field Strength Meter and Model 900 Sweep Frequency Generator. He also authored a seminal technical handbook on cable television systems, and served on national and international engineering standards committees. Fellow cable engineer Archer Taylor stated that Simons was seen as the leading technical expert at Jerrold for over two decades.
of the University of Pennsylvania
,with distinction and recipient of the A. Atwater Kent Prize in Electrical Engineering] (see Atwater Kent Museum of Philadelphia
) He then became a television
field engineer for RCA
. On one occasion in 1939 he and another field engineer installed a television set in the honeymoon cottage of movie stars Robert Taylor
and Barbara Stanwyck
, and Simons showed her how to operate it. Later Simons helped run the http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmCl9e84UJg&feature=relatedRCA
television exhibit] at the 1939 World’s Fair. In the summer of 1940 he was sent by RCA to run the public address
system and make recordings of speeches on the campaign train of Wendell Willkie
, the Republican
candidate for president that year.
In 1941 he was a radio engineer for WCAU in Philadelphia, broadcasting live concerts over the radio. From 1942 until 1946 he was the chief instructor for the RCA Signal Corps School. Along with teaching operation and repair of various devices, he wrote instruction manuals on oscilloscope use and synchronous motors.
He moved to Kansas City, Missouri, in 1946 and was the chief television instructor at Central Radio School until 1948. Simons then worked for Sylvania for about a year developing television tuners and an indoor antenna. In 1952 he formed a partnership to design and manufacture direct-coupled oscilloscopes. Due to lack of funding, they ultimately were not produced.
.
Simons held 13 US and foreign patents, published four books, one of which was translated into Spanish. and 37 articles in engineering publications (e.g.
). His well-regarded Technical Handbook for CATV Systems went through 4 editions from 1965 to 1985.
Simons served on two technical committees of the International Electrotechnical Commission, part of the International Standards Organization, beginning in 1969. He was a life member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE), a member of the Society of Cable Television Engineers, and a Fellow
of the British Society of Cable Engineers.
, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
set up a national network of amateur-run observation stations to track the early Russian artificial satellites, Sputniks I and II, Operation Moonwatch
. As a member of his local Moonwatch group Moonwatch group, he made use of a unique radio-based Doppler tracking system
he designed to enhance the accuracy of his team’s sightings.
Simons had originally patented a directional coupler, U.S. Patent 3,048,798, filed December 24, 1959, that had defined this key component for cable-based distribution of television. Now, 35 years later, he designed another coupler unit, U.S Patent 5,461,349, filed Oct. 17, 1994, a wide-band bidirectional coupler. He expanded on its concept with a proposal for a contemporary bidirectional hybrid copper and optical cable television headend
, with a 1 GHz bandwidth and privacy capabilities.
The final innovation he worked on involved getting back together with a friend he had first worked with when both were in college, the distinguished biophysicist Britton Chance
. Chance’s group wanted to construct an optical tomography
-based replacement for the standard MRI. Simons collaborated in this effort, attempting to use phase modulation
of the illuminating laser
to more efficiently measure hemoglobin
deoxygenation
in body tissue.
Simons was an invited participant at a variety of standards-setting meetings.
The National Cable Television Association (NCTA) named Simons "CATV Engineer of the Year" in 1965, and he served on NCTA's Ad Hoc Committee on Technical Standards and their Engineering Subcommittee. In 1973 NCTA presented Simons with the "Technical Achievement Award" (now the "Vanguard Award for Science & Technology").
Simons was awarded the first IEEE Delmer Ports Award, in 1978 at IEEE’s annual meeting. He was characterized in the award as a legend in the CATV industry and credited for his role in developing NCTA
technology. He was credited as responsible for NCTA noise interference standards and for the measurement of distortion components. His Technical Handbook for CATV Systems was characterized as an indispensable sourcebook on the technical aspects of CATV and for many years the best tutorial available on performance and measurement in CATV.
University of Pennsylvania, Gazette November/December 2004 issue, Class of 1938
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
in the United States, for the most part as chief engineer for the Jerrold Electronics Corporation
Jerrold Electronics
Jerrold Electronics was a provider of cable television equipment, including subscriber converter boxes, distribution network equipment , and headend equipment in the United States.-History:...
. Jerrold was one of the first manufacturers of cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
equipment and also constructed entire cable systems. Simons designed one of the first converters and the two most important pieces of the early test equipment, the Model 704 Field Strength Meter and Model 900 Sweep Frequency Generator. He also authored a seminal technical handbook on cable television systems, and served on national and international engineering standards committees. Fellow cable engineer Archer Taylor stated that Simons was seen as the leading technical expert at Jerrold for over two decades.
Early years
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Simons' interest in radio began at an early age, and he obtained his amateur radio license (callsign W3UB) in 1930. Simons started his career as a radio troubleshooter for RCA in 1932 in Camden, and worked for RCA while he attended college. In 1938 he graduated from the Moore School of Electrical EngineeringMoore School of Electrical Engineering
The Moore School of Electrical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania came into existence as a result of an endowment from Alfred Fitler Moore on June 4, 1923. It was granted to Penn's School of Electrical Engineering, located in the Towne Building...
of the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
,with distinction and recipient of the A. Atwater Kent Prize in Electrical Engineering] (see Atwater Kent Museum of Philadelphia
Atwater Kent Museum of Philadelphia
The Philadelphia History Museum was founded in 1938 as Philadelphia's city history museum.-Founding:...
) He then became a television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
field engineer for RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
. On one occasion in 1939 he and another field engineer installed a television set in the honeymoon cottage of movie stars Robert Taylor
Robert Taylor (actor)
Robert Taylor was an American film and television actor.-Early life:Born Spangler Arlington Brugh in Filley, Nebraska, he was the son of Ruth Adaline and Spangler Andrew Brugh, who was a farmer turned doctor...
and Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress. She was a film and television star, known during her 60-year career as a consummate and versatile professional with a strong screen presence, and a favorite of directors including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang and Frank Capra...
, and Simons showed her how to operate it. Later Simons helped run the http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmCl9e84UJg&feature=relatedRCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
television exhibit] at the 1939 World’s Fair. In the summer of 1940 he was sent by RCA to run the public address
Public address
A public address system is an electronic amplification system with a mixer, amplifier and loudspeakers, used to reinforce a sound source, e.g., a person giving a speech, a DJ playing prerecorded music, and distributing the sound throughout a venue or building.Simple PA systems are often used in...
system and make recordings of speeches on the campaign train of Wendell Willkie
Wendell Willkie
Wendell Lewis Willkie was a corporate lawyer in the United States and a dark horse who became the Republican Party nominee for the president in 1940. A member of the liberal wing of the GOP, he crusaded against those domestic policies of the New Deal that he thought were inefficient and...
, the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidate for president that year.
In 1941 he was a radio engineer for WCAU in Philadelphia, broadcasting live concerts over the radio. From 1942 until 1946 he was the chief instructor for the RCA Signal Corps School. Along with teaching operation and repair of various devices, he wrote instruction manuals on oscilloscope use and synchronous motors.
He moved to Kansas City, Missouri, in 1946 and was the chief television instructor at Central Radio School until 1948. Simons then worked for Sylvania for about a year developing television tuners and an indoor antenna. In 1952 he formed a partnership to design and manufacture direct-coupled oscilloscopes. Due to lack of funding, they ultimately were not produced.
Jerrold years
Simons began at Jerrold Electronics Corporation as a part-time consulting engineer in 1951. His first project was to design a high-to-low frequency converter. He and other Jerrold engineers worked out of Simons' personal laboratory located on the second floor of a stained glass factory in Bryn Athyn, Pa., until a new Jerrold lab was built in Hatboro, Pa., in 1955. Simons characterized his role at Jerrold in his resume: "Three of us were primarily responsible for equipment design in the early years. Donald Kirk was talented in coming up with new ideas, my contribution was often in getting a system to work, and Henry Arbeiter took all the bright ideas and made them producible." Other engineering colleagues included Eric Winston, Mike Jeffers, Frank Ragone, Caywood Cooley, Vic Nicholson, Len Ecker, and Bill Felsher. Simons successively became chief engineer, chief test equipment engineer, vice president and director of advanced development. Some of his noteworthy designs include the Model 704B Field Strength Meter. In a technology area based on rapid and constant change, the 704B was of note in being in production and use for more than 20 years The 704 name is honored even today in a fraternal organization of its users The Loyal Order of the 704, commemorating the meter’s defining role in cable development. Simons also designed its successor, the Model 727 Field Strength Meter; the Model 900 and Model 1015 Sweep Frequency Generators, and the Model SCA 213 Distributed AmplifierAmplifier
Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal.In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually a voltage or a current. In audio applications, amplifiers drive the loudspeakers used in PA systems to...
.
Simons held 13 US and foreign patents, published four books, one of which was translated into Spanish. and 37 articles in engineering publications (e.g.
). His well-regarded Technical Handbook for CATV Systems went through 4 editions from 1965 to 1985.
Simons served on two technical committees of the International Electrotechnical Commission, part of the International Standards Organization, beginning in 1969. He was a life member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
Engineers (IEEE), a member of the Society of Cable Television Engineers, and a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the British Society of Cable Engineers.
Operation Moonwatch
As part of the International Geophysical YearInternational Geophysical Year
The International Geophysical Year was an international scientific project that lasted from July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958. It marked the end of a long period during the Cold War when scientific interchange between East and West was seriously interrupted...
, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory is a research institute of the Smithsonian Institution headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where it is joined with the Harvard College Observatory to form the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics .-History:The SAO was founded in 1890 by...
set up a national network of amateur-run observation stations to track the early Russian artificial satellites, Sputniks I and II, Operation Moonwatch
Operation Moonwatch
Operation Moonwatch was an amateur science program formally initiated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in 1956 . The SAO organized Moonwatch as part of the International Geophysical Year which was probably the largest single scientific undertaking in history...
. As a member of his local Moonwatch group Moonwatch group, he made use of a unique radio-based Doppler tracking system
Doppler effect
The Doppler effect , named after Austrian physicist Christian Doppler who proposed it in 1842 in Prague, is the change in frequency of a wave for an observer moving relative to the source of the wave. It is commonly heard when a vehicle sounding a siren or horn approaches, passes, and recedes from...
he designed to enhance the accuracy of his team’s sightings.
Last years
Simons retired from Jerrold in 1976. He then served as a consultant for a number of cable industry manufacturers until 1989, and then for the University of Pennsylvania beginning in 1990.Simons had originally patented a directional coupler, U.S. Patent 3,048,798, filed December 24, 1959, that had defined this key component for cable-based distribution of television. Now, 35 years later, he designed another coupler unit, U.S Patent 5,461,349, filed Oct. 17, 1994, a wide-band bidirectional coupler. He expanded on its concept with a proposal for a contemporary bidirectional hybrid copper and optical cable television headend
Cable television headend
A cable television headend is a master facility for receiving television signals for processing and distribution over a cable television system. The headend facility is normally unstaffed and surrounded by some type of security fencing and is typically a building or large shed housing electronic...
, with a 1 GHz bandwidth and privacy capabilities.
The final innovation he worked on involved getting back together with a friend he had first worked with when both were in college, the distinguished biophysicist Britton Chance
Britton Chance
Britton Chance was the Eldridge Reeves Johnson University Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Biophysics, as well as Professor Emeritus of Physical Chemistry and Radiological Physics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.At the 1952 Summer Olympics, Chance won a gold medal in...
. Chance’s group wanted to construct an optical tomography
Optical tomography
Optical tomography is a form of computed tomography that creates a digital volumetric model of an object by reconstructing images made from light transmitted and scattered through an object...
-based replacement for the standard MRI. Simons collaborated in this effort, attempting to use phase modulation
Phase modulation
Phase modulation is a form of modulation that represents information as variations in the instantaneous phase of a carrier wave.Unlike its more popular counterpart, frequency modulation , PM is not very widely used for radio transmissions...
of the illuminating laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
to more efficiently measure hemoglobin
Hemoglobin
Hemoglobin is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein in the red blood cells of all vertebrates, with the exception of the fish family Channichthyidae, as well as the tissues of some invertebrates...
deoxygenation
Deoxygenation
Deoxygenation is a chemical reaction involving the removal of molecular oxygen from a reaction mixture or solvent, or the removal of oxygen atoms from a molecule.Classic representatives of deoxygenation are:...
in body tissue.
Honors
In addition to the list of memberships and committee assignmentsSimons was an invited participant at a variety of standards-setting meetings.
The National Cable Television Association (NCTA) named Simons "CATV Engineer of the Year" in 1965, and he served on NCTA's Ad Hoc Committee on Technical Standards and their Engineering Subcommittee. In 1973 NCTA presented Simons with the "Technical Achievement Award" (now the "Vanguard Award for Science & Technology").
Simons was awarded the first IEEE Delmer Ports Award, in 1978 at IEEE’s annual meeting. He was characterized in the award as a legend in the CATV industry and credited for his role in developing NCTA
NCTA
NCTA is an abbreviation that may refer to:*National Cable & Telecommunications Association*National Council for the Traditional Arts*Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture*Northern California Translators Association*North Carolina Turnpike Authority...
technology. He was credited as responsible for NCTA noise interference standards and for the measurement of distortion components. His Technical Handbook for CATV Systems was characterized as an indispensable sourcebook on the technical aspects of CATV and for many years the best tutorial available on performance and measurement in CATV.
Obituary
Simons died June 11, 2004.University of Pennsylvania, Gazette November/December 2004 issue, Class of 1938
External links
- http://archive.cablecenter.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/catv&CISOPTR=733&CISOBOX=1&REC=3 Ken Simons at his workbench, probably 1950's.
- http://archive.cablecenter.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/catv&CISOPTR=736&CISOBOX=1&REC=2 Ken Simons at his workbench, probably 1970's.
- http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/180/181/1812/index.html#704B-1 Jerrold Model 704B Field Strength Meter with TK-Channel Adapter Module and Manual
- http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/180/182/JerroldSweepSignalGeneratorModel900BH--1.JPG Jerrold Model 900 Sweep Frequency Generator.
- http://cablecenter.org/content.cfm?id=665 Keneth Simons Oral History, Barco Library, The Cable Center. Interview was conducted by Archer Taylor on Feb. 18, 1992; full transcript available.
- http://lo704.com/ Loyal Order of the 704; fraternal organization for cable television engineers; site has a section devoted to Simons
