Ampexers are everywhere! Meet William “Bill” Robertson. Turned 77 today, Mon. March 31, 2025. If he had not mentioned “Redwood City“ in a conversation we were having about wireless microphones and difficulties setting them up for church, I never would’ve asked if he had worked for Ampex. Turns out he had. In the assembly department of the audio recorder division. In one of the buildings that was within sight of the big Ampex sign at 401 Broadway. William—as he was known within the company—made wiring harnesses. And he says he has documentation of a variety of things from his time at Ampex. That includes his time of service. The conversation about Ampex got his brain fully engaged. He’s recovering from a stroke and moved from the Peninsula to the Orangevale, Sacramento County area recently to be near his daughter and grandchildren. More to come. And we'd love to hear from folks like Bill who took what the engineers and designers created, and turned it into the products people used around the world. I showed Bill the post Aaron Bolton posted in the Eyesofageneration.com Group as the remaining Redwood City Ampex buildings were being demolished in late January (2025). Link here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1425282661005351/permalink/2742176519315952/ He fondly recalled working in one of the buildings... and was sad to see them torn down. On behalf of the Ampex OldTimer's, I crafted a birthday card, and ensured it got delivered this weekend, when we visited our 97-year-old friend, who is Bill's roommate in assisted living. I hear his daughter took him to dinner this evening. If you worked with Bill or just want to send a message, use Facebook Messenger, and we'll pass it on. Please include where/when/what you did at Ampex. Ted Langdell, Event Coordinator Ampex OldTimers BBQ and Picnic September 6, 2025. Registration opens soon!
Who is The Man in Glasses? Rebecca Gordon needs your help. She’s cataloging Ray Dolby’s photos and papers as Stanford University’s Dolby Media Archivist for Silicon Valley Archives. The photo is part of Ray Dolby’s slide collection from the 1950s. Rebecca says, “I’m trying to identify the man in horn-rim glasses and the gray suit with a name tag that I can't read--it says "EXHIBITOR" but there's no clear name. I ***think*** it's William Lodge, CBS-TV engineering VP, but I'm not certain, and I want to see if anyone else can confirm or otherwise identify him.” Got a good idea of WHO this is, and perhaps a photo of the “unidentified man” to confirm with? Possibly identify WHERE and WHEN the photo was taken? Reply in Comments. We'll advise Rebecca to keep an eye out.
Another "Found while looking for something else" item... a history of an Ampexer, in this case Klaus Franz Karl Eichstadt, who became a globe-trotting television engineer, building television station facilities, particularly in South America. He retired from Merlin Engineering Works, founded by two former Ampex employees, John Streets and Al Sturm. Merlin Engineering Works long timer Kenneth Zin recalls Klaus was hired to sell the rebadged Merlin version of Snell & Wilcox standards converters... and would call from various places to update status. Zin says Eichstadt excitedly told him, "I won the lottery!" The "lottery" being the right to build on Lake Tahoe property where Eichstadt built the family's vacation home after retiring from Merlin. He was 70. Zin recalls he snowshoed around the area during winter, in addition to skiing. Read more about Klaus and his lifetime adventures here. https://www.sierrasun.com/news/obituaries/klaus-franz-karl-eichstadt/ If you know of other Ampex employees—living or not—please send us a message via Facebook Messenger with links to any material find online or have.
Seeking Videotek TVM-675 Service Manual. Need High resolution PDF, or paper manual. If you have a Paper manual, it can be scanned at high resolution (600DPI) including foldouts, and either returned with a PDF, or returned as a PDF. Will pay shipping both ways. PM with details. If for sale, PM price, details and photos of front, inside and sample pages. Thanks much or your help. Let me know if YOU need a manual. Ted
Take a look at this 1985 Ampex Video Systems video and see if you can identify anyone. Maybe they need to add themselves to Ampex OldTimers list and attend the the 2024 Ampex OldTimers Barbecue, Picnic and Zoom, happening Saturday, September 4, 2024 in Mountain View and wherever the internet reaches. First round of invitations went out to 145 people yesterday. Not too late to connect. If you’re a former or current Ampex employee, contractor, or worked for an Ampex contractor, we’d love to meet you and hear your Ampex stories. Get on the Ampex OldTimers mailing list at AmpexOldTimers.org, before the next round of invitations are sent. https://archive.org/details/ampex-video-systems-1985