Rockwell Collins - History

History

Arthur Collins founded Collins Radio Company in 1933 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for the purpose of designing and producing both shortwave radio equipment and equipment for the burgeoning AM Broadcast industry. As the Collins reputation for fine quality and uncompromising construction grew, Collins was solicited by the military, the scientific community and by the larger AM radio stations for special equipment. The company captured worldwide attention when Collins supplied the equipment to establish a communications link with the South Pole expedition of Rear Admiral Richard Byrd in 1933.

Financial income increased steadily enabling Arthur Collins to continually change and enhance, broaden and diversify his equipment, which, in the end, became a dominant force in the radio equipment industry. By 1936 Collins had already begun production of their famous 12H audio console, 12X portable field announcers box and their 300E and 300F broadcast transmitters. The 300F design remained stable for over a decade with most remaining in service throughout the 1960s. They were replaced not because of equipment failure but because of relaxed rules permitting daytime only stations operating on clear channel frequencies to increase power and operate at night with 1000 Watts power and more. Throughout WW2, speech equipment also evolved dynamically as industry feedback influenced the designs at Collins. The 12H was quickly replaced with the stunning success of the 212A1 and 212B1 designs that remained in service for decades. It is important to note that during these initial decades of the Collins production of radio equipment, reliability and dependability characterized the demand for equipment. As an example, during the pre-WW2 years, the National Radio Company was the principal contractor for the US military. This changed with the US entrance into WW2 and Collins quickly became the principal supplier of radio and navigation equipment used in the military theater, where uncompromising performance was required.

In the post war years, particularly during the Cold War, the Collins Radio Company continued to expand its work in all phases of the communications field while broadening its technology thrust into numerous other disciplines. This moved Arthur Collins into a more active role as CEO guiding department leaders holding significant responsibilities. New developments such as flight control instruments, radio communication devices and satellite voice transmissions created great opportunities in the marketplace. Collins Radio Company provided communications for America's role in the Space Race, including equipment for astronauts to communicate with earth stations and equipment to track and communicate with spacecraft. Collins communications equipment was used for Projects Mercury, Gemini and Apollo, providing voice communication for every American astronaut traveling through space. In 1973, the U.S. Skylab Program used Collins equipment to provide communication from the astronauts to earth.