‰  NOW 40 WPM  ‰  
OFFICE.  HE TOLD NEUMAN THAT HIS ATTITUDE AND WORK ETHIC MERITED A MOVE UP
IN THE COMPANY.  HE HAD AN OPENING IN PURCHASING AND ALSO NEEDED A
PRODUCTION TEST TECHNICIAN.  NEUMAN ASKED, WHICH JOB PAYS MORE?  JOHNSON
RESPONDED, TECHNICIAN.  NEUMAN SOON FOUND HIMSELF SEATED AT A TEST BENCH
BETWEEN A PAIR OF SEASONED TECHS.  JOHNSONS INSTRUCTIONS TO THEM WERE,
TEACH THIS GUY WHAT HE NEEDS TO KNOW.  THE ROOKIE TECH PICKED IT UP
QUICKLY.  I SEEMED TO HAVE A NATURAL FEE

AGREEMENT WITH SOUTHCOM GRANTED ATLAS ACCESS TO THE SC 130S TECHNOLOGY.
THE ATLAS 180 ADAPTED THE MAN PACK RADIOS DESIGN FOR AMATEUR USE.  AN
ANALOG VFO FOR THE 160, 80, 40, AND 20 METER BANDS REPLACED THE SC 130S
STEP TUNED 2 12 MHZ SYNTHESIZER.  OUTPUT POWER INCREASED FROM 20 W TO 100
W.  AMONG THE 180S CHARMS WAS ITS SIZE.  IT MEASURED 9R5 X 9R5 X 3 INCHES.
THATS NOTHING SPECIAL TODAY, BUT IT WAS A TINY RIG IN 1974.  THE FULLY
SOLID STATE TRANSCEIVER FEATURED NO TUNE OPERATION.  THE VFOS 350 KHZ RANGE
REQUIRED TWO BAND SWITCH SEGMENTS TO COVER 75/80 METERS, BUT WAS AMPLE FOR
THE OTHER BANDS.  IN ORDER TO IMPROVE IMMUNITY TO OVERLOAD AND CROSS
MODULATION, THE 180S RECEIVER HAD NO RF AMPLIFIER STAGE THE ANTENNA INPUT
CIRCUIT FED THE RADIOS MIXER DIRECTLY.  A PAIR OF SUCCESSORS EARLY IN 1975,
ATLAS INTRODUCED THE 180S SUCCESSOR IN REALITY, A PAIR OF THEM.  THE NEW
210 COVERED 80 10 METERS, WHILE THE OTHERWISE IDENTICAL 215 COVERED 160 15
METERS HEREAFTER, WHEN THE 210 SERIES IS MENTIONED, THE 215 IS ALSO
IMPLIED.  BECAUSE THE 210 USED THE SAME VFO AND BAND SWITCH AS THE 180,
SQUEEZING IN FIVE BANDS SACRIFICED PART OF 80 METERS.  THAT BAND STARTED AT

VINTAGE RADIO ATLAS RADIO  PART 1 OF A TWO PART SERIES ABOUT THE RISE AND
FALL OF A LEGENDARY AMATEUR RADIO COMPANY.  JOE VERAS, K9OCO K9OCO ARRL.
NET  IN ART DERIVED FROM GREEK MYTHOLOGY, ATLAS IS SHOWN BEARING THE WEIGHT
OF THE WORLD ON HIS SHOULDERS.  HERB JOHNSON, W6QKI, ATLAS RADIOS FOUNDER,
LIKELY EXPERIENCED THAT FEELING DURING HIS COMPANYS FINAL DAYS.  IN THE
BETTER, BRIGHTER TIMES BEFORE THOSE FATEFUL DAYS, HOWEVER, TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF AMATEURS TOOK TO THE AIRWAVES WITH ONE OF JOHNSONS RIGS.  BORN
NOVEMBER 10, 1920 IN PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, JOHNSON GREW UP IN
ASHTABULA, OHIO.  HE RECEIVED HIS AMATEUR LICENSE, W8QKI, AT AGE 15.  IN
1956, JOHNSON CO AUTHORED A VHF HANDBOOK WITH BILL ORR, W6SAI.  HE ENTERED
THE AMATEUR EQUIPMENT MARKET IN 1961 WHEN HE STARTED SWAN ENGINEERING IN
HIS BENSON, ARIZONA GARAGE.  HE HAND BUILT THE FIRST 10 SWAN TRANSCEIVERS
THERE BEFORE RELOCATING TO OCEANSIDE, CALIFORNIA IN 1962.  JOHNSON MERGED
THE COMPANY WITH CUBIC COMMUNICATIONS IN 1967, STAYING ON AS MANAGER OF THE
SWAN PRODUCT LINE UNTIL 1972.  THE ATLAS 180 TRANSCEIVER JOHNSON LEFT SWAN
TO START ATLAS RADIO, SETTING UP SHOP IN CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA BEFORE MOVING
TO LARGER QUARTERS IN OCEANSIDE.  THE ATLAS 180 TRANSCEIVER ARRIVED IN
1974.  ADS DESCRIBED IT AS A FIRST COUSIN TO THE SOUTHCOM AN/URC 87 SC 130,
A MAN PACK MILITARY RADIO DESIGNED BY LES EARNSHAW, EX ZL1AAX.  A LICENSE
‰  END OF 40 WPM TEXT  ‰  QST DE W1AW  ƒ