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SMD's Key Milestones
1939 S.M.D. Manufacturing Company (Pty) Ltd established by Horace Dainty and Partners.
Brian Austin's Tribute to Horace Dainty provides a excellent overview of S.M.D. together with the company's products, personnel and associate companies.
1960 In the early 1960s, the Barlow Group acquired S.M.D. Manufacturing Company (Pty) Ltd (SMD), that was located at 9 Young Road in Pinetown, and moved both the staff and the plant to New Germany where it became know as the Barlow Manufacturing Company Ltd (BMC). Barry Cooke, a founder member and senior director of S.M.D. Manufacturing Company (Pty) Ltd, was appointed Managing Director of Barlow Manufacturing Company Ltd.
1961 RACAL-SMD established - As joint venture between Racal Electronics and SMD.
1962 Racal Electronics South Africa (RESA) established - Formerly RACAL-SMD.
1965 Racal Electronics negotiates licence with RESA and starts development of ‘Squadcal’.
1960 to 1970 : Solid State HF SSB Tactical Radio Communication Systems
Salbu, in the early 1960's, built, and evaluated on the amateur radio bands, a unique range of both "tuned" and "broad-band" SSB, Solid State, Transceivers.
The "broad-band" "all solid state" prototype was the archetype of the RT14 and in turn the Racal Squadcal and Racal TR28.
The "tuned" prototype was further developed and manufactured by SMD in Pinetown and later modified by RACAL-SMD in Pretoria. The modification increased the power level to 150 Watts P.E.P. RF OUTPUT and the operating frequency range to 2.0-16 Mc/s. Large numbers of the RT422B SSB Transceivers were soon in use throughout Africa.
Note: The AM Radio Telephone "FSR26" preceded the SSB Radio Telephone "RT422B". The receiver was fully transitorised as well as the transmit H.T. power converter.
S.M.D. Manufacturing Company (Pty)
Note: In the early 1960s, the Barlow Group acquired S.M.D. Manufacturing Company (Pty) Ltd (SMD), that was located at 9 Young Road in Pinetown, and moved both the staff and the plant to New Germany where it became know as the Barlow Manufacturing Company Ltd (BMC). Barry Cooke, a founder member and senior director of S.M.D. Manufacturing Company (Pty) Ltd, was appointed Managing Director of Barlow Manufacturing Company Ltd.
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