Jerrold Electronics was an American provider of

cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...

equipment, including subscriber converter boxes, distribution network equipment (

amplifier An amplifier, electronic amplifier or (informally) amp is an electronic device that can increase the magnitude of a signal (a time-varying voltage or current). It may increase the power significantly, or its main effect may be to boost t ...

s, multitap outlets), and headend equipment in the United States.

History

The company was founded by future

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Milton Jerrold Shapp (the company name was derived from his middle name) in 1950. The company was one of the earliest pioneers of community antenna television systems (cable television). The company headquarters was located at 401 Walnut Street in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

. Shapp sold the company to

General Instrument General Instrument (GI) was an American electronics manufacturer based in Horsham, Pennsylvania, specializing in semiconductors and cable television equipment. They formed in New York City in 1923 as an electronics manufacturer. During the 1950s, ...

in 1967. However, the Jerrold brand name continued to be used on equipment into the 1990s. In the late 1990s, the Jerrold name went out of use, and

merged with

Motorola Motorola, Inc. () was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, United States. After having lost $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009, the company split into two independent public companies, Motorola ...

becoming the Motorola Connected Home Solutions division. Motorola Connected Home Solutions was acquired by Arris in 2012. The equipment was popular with many cable pirates by then and by 2005, most cable companies have discontinued use of Jerrold equipment in favor of

digital cable Digital cable is the distribution of cable television using digital data and video compression. The technology was first developed by General Instrument. By 2000, most cable companies offered digital features, eventually replacing their previ ...

Notes

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References

There are a number of sources available covering the history of Jerrold and the cable industry as a whole. * Parsons, P. ''Blue Skies: A History of Cable Television'' Temple University Press, 2008 *:Extensive history * Stubbs, G. ''From workhorse to icon. The 704 Jerrold Field Strength Meter'' ''CED Magazine'', November/December 2004, p. 42 *:History of one notable instrument * Taylor, A.S. ''History Between Their Ears: Recollections of Pioneer CATV Engineers'' The Cable Center, 2000 *: Histories of key engineering staff involved

External links

NCTA (National Cable & Telecommunications Association) ''History of Cable Television.'' Washington, DC 2001 *:Brief narrative history

''United States: Cable Television'' The Museum of Broadcast Communications 2001 *:Extensive, well documented

Young, C. ''RFMD. CATV Hybrid Amplifier Modules: Past, Present, Future’’ (RFMD Greensboro 2009) *:History of CATV amplifier development 1950 establishments in Pennsylvania 2012 establishments in Pennsylvania American companies established in 1950 Electronics companies established in 1950 Companies disestablished in 2012 Cable television in the United States Defunct companies based in Pennsylvania Companies based in Philadelphia Electronics companies of the United States

History

See also

Notes

References

External links