| Dielectic Communications
22 Tower Road |
Dielectric Communications is essentially a "spin off" of RCA. Dr. Charles “Doc” Brown’s Dielectric Products Corporation started developing transmission lines for early wartime radar systems in 1942. A number of the early employees came over from RCA, which had curtailed its antenna work about that time.
Circular antennas for FM were among the first broadcast products, along with isocouplers that permitted mounting FM antennas on AM towers. In recent years Dielectric has become known especially for their high-power antenna systems and filters.
After the war, Doc Brown’s team focused their efforts on the newly approved television industry, becoming a major supplier to the three television broadcast networks.
Along the way, in May 2000, Dielectric acquired the Davicom antenna product line. In November 2000, Dielectric acquired Central Tower and Ryan Construction, allowing for full turnkey installations.
In 2001 SPX acquired the company.
However, in the face of the global recession, in early 2013 SPX announced the closing of the company’s antenna division. However, in June of that year, the Sinclair Broadcast Group, operator of television stations, bought Dielectric’s manufacturing facility, keeping it open for business in anticipation of the need for new digital antennas because of the FCC’s Spectrum Auction’s repacking scheme.
There were several people like Ed Shively who went on from Dielectric to do their own thing, Tom Vaughn MCI, Dick Fiore Sr. Comark .. now Thales Broadcast, Dwight Starbird, Microwave Techniques, Peter Howell, Howell Labs, George Harris, RF Technologies, Donny Paul, Mega Industries, . Seems like it has been an incubator for a number of companies.
Bob Surrette worked here before going to Shively too.
To see current antenna offerings, click here
| FMVee | |