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Holt Electronics Research

 
Photo: H.A.C. Hilmer
Luther Holt
Luther D. Holt (1916-2005), was a lifelong resident of Mahanoy City and a man of many talents.   According to an obituary published in the Pottsville, Pennsylvania Republican, he was a self-employed electronics engineer and former owner and operator of Holt Electronics in Mahanoy City.   In 1948, he established an electronics school, known as American Radio School, at his electronics shop in Mahanoy City.   In the early 1960s, he purchased and remodeled the the Victoria Theater in Mahanoy City, where he presented several big-name entertainers.   He also served as pastor of the Salem Evangelical-Congregational Church in Mahanoy City, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Schuylkill Technology Center.

Holt was an early pioneer in design and construction of equipment for the cable television.   He worked closely with John Walson, Sr. during the design and construction of Walson's cable TV systems in Mahanoy City and other cities.   As the cable TV industry grew, Holt's manufacturing business grew with it.   By the mid-50s, his company, Holt Electronics Research, was offering an extensive line of equipment.

The Old CATV Equipment Museum has acquired a copy of one of the Holt catalogs.   An inspection of this catalog reveals that all of Holt's equipment was designed for indoor installation.   Accordingly, outdoor installation would have required installation of a pole-mounted weather-resistant cabinet such as the Davco Model EQ-2 shown below.   Furthermore, each amplifier would have required a source of 115-volt 60-Hz power.

Although this catalog is undated, we can deduce the date based on the telephone number 717-773-1370 that appears on several pages.   Dial telephone service was introduced in Mahanoy City on January 21, 1962 (MAHS, 2013), so the catalog must have been published after that date.   It should be noted, however, that the telephone number 530 appears on some pages, indicating that Holt's business was well established prior to 1962.

A PDF copy of the catalog can be downloaded here (it's a large file, almost 80 Mb, so expect a long download time).

Here are links to a few pages from the catalog.   Click on the image to enlarge.


Front cover

Page 1
Headend AGC Amplifier

Page 78
Bridging Distribution Amplifier

Page 85
75Ω – 300Ω Balun
 

Page 87
Pressure Tap

Page 98
Field Strength Meter

Connectors and Pads

Price List
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Pole-mounted weather-resistant amplifier cabinet

Some of the earliest cable television systems used broadband distribution amplifiers as line amplifiers, often installed in pole-mounted weather-resistant cabinets.   One such installation was featured on the cover of the March 1964 issue of TV & Communications magazine.

Scan:Lew Chandler
Installation of a Davco Model EQ-2 equipment housing for a line amplifier.   Robert Harmon (left), of Davco, makes the connections to the cable network, while an unidentified lineman from Arkansas Power & Light Company makes the connection to the 120-volt secondary distribution conductors.   Photo: TV & Communications Magazine, March 1964, front cover.   We thank Robert Harmon's family for contributing this issue of the magazine.

Scan:Lew Chandler
Advertisement for Davco Model EQ-2 equipment enclosure.   Source: TV & Communications Magazine, March 1964.   The price shown ($3975) is obviously an error.   The correct price was $39.75.
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