As we continue to work our way through our archive of photos, we run across some that are a bit out of the ordinary.  They may be humorous or unique but they stand out from the other photos. We post new photos here monthly with the previous photos in the slideshow.

The September 2026 Photo of the Month comes from the November 12, 1966 Interim Quarterly Report. After Tektronix was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1963, the company was required by the SEC to publish both an annual and a quarterly report to shareholders. At the museum we have a complete collection of annual reports through 2000, but the interim quarterly reports we have are less complete. A recent donation to the museum included several interim reports missing from our files and we feature this interesting photo from the November 12, 1966 report.

With a Boeing 727 from Eastern Airlines in the background, we see a video cart incorporating a Tektronix RM529 television waveform monitor in front. The RM529, was introduced in 1964. Phil Crosby, former Tektronix Chief Engineer and current museum volunteer, was the designer responsible for the product. He recalls:

The RM529 was the first thing of mine that made it out the door. Charlie Rhodes had me doing some stuff for a "527T" in late 1962. He had wanted a mostly transistorized waveform monitor to replace the RM527 and 527 (earlier Tek TV waveform monitors). After handing some specific design tasks, he handed me a bunch of stuff about sine squared pulses and bar testing to assess picture quality, which I studied intensively over a weekend at home.

My job, in designing the RM529, was to achieve the flat frequency response demanded by customers who didn't know better and good sine squared response. In bringing out the RM529, we were educating the market about sine squared testing and much of the 'ringiness' of early TV pictures went by the wayside.

At that time, I was working 25-30 hrs/wk and going to Portland State College (not a university then).
Then, he put me in charge of the whole thing, reporting to Larry Biggs, shielding me from knowing about the criticism he was getting from his management (he's a technician, not even an engineer!). We got the 529 out in the fall of 1964. It was pretty intense and I learned a lot about vertical amplifiers, DC restoration, sweeps, trigger circuits HV supplies, etc.

It was probably the best assignment I could have gotten at the time. Thanks, Charlie!

Phil commented on why the RM529 was used for the Eastern Airlines video:

It was probably used to set up the cameras for the shoot. The cameras used to drift quite a bit, particularly on outside shoots. It's not clear if the cameras were monochrome (probably) or color (doubtful). The recorders used FM for the video, as did the Western Electric microwave system which handled 4 channels using microwave links, each link being 60-70 miles long to bridge the US.
Analog TV was a serious challenge and (Tektronix) waveform monitors and vectors copes enabled it. I was proud to play a part.

We have more information about the RM529 on our Television Products page. We also have this article on the RM529 from the June 1965 ServiceScope. Click on the image to view the PDF.

We also have information on the 529 on our 529 Waveform Monitor Used On Fox Spud Goodman Show.

Photos of the Month:  Jan 2025 - Present

Photos of the Month:  Feb 2019 - Dec 2024