Industry snapshot from times gone by

25 YEARS AGO. The cover of the June/July 1992 issue of What’s New in Radio Communications featured the Hewlett-Packard HP 8920A portable test unit which, among other things, could test AM, FM and PM radios and cellular phones, supporting EAMPS, ETACS, ITACS, MPT1327 and NMT-450/900 cellular phones. We previewed the Professional & Commercial Radio Communications Show, which was held in conjunction with PMR’92 (organised by the AEEMA Radio Communications Product Division); some familiar names were there (Icom, Kenwood, Tech Rentals), plus some you don’t hear about anymore (OTC, Philips, Marconi). Looking at some of the gear advertised in this issue, we had the Midlander LMR from Exicom, the Icom IC-H10 and IC-U10, the Sawtron KG 109 from Imark, the TX4000 from GME, the Eclipse UHF base station from RF Technology, the mobiSCRIPT digital data dispatch unit from Signalling Technology and the DNA 007 telephone interconnect from DNA Technologies.

10 YEARS AGO. The cover of the May/June 2007 issue of Radio Comms Asia–Pacific featured the Rohde & Schwarz ZVL vector network analyser that featured full spectrum analysis. Inside the magazine we reported on research in the UK into possible health effects from exposure to signals from TETRA radio masts and the ACMA reducing reserve prices on 35 MHz of the 3.4 GHz band by up to 75% in order to encourage take-up (with this parcel of spectrum having been passed in at auction in 2000). The ACMA’s Chris Chapman contributed an article on the wide uses of spectrum in all facets of life, noting that — compared to the situation in the UK — Australia was well placed to efficiently plan its spectrum allocations. Finally, we also reported on the first meeting of the Australian Radio Industry Association (ARIA). Newly appointed president, Craig Ross, called for all industry participants to build support and lay down the foundations for the long-term growth of the industry in Australia.

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