Overview
CBS-Hytron was the vacuum tube manufacturing division and brand created after Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) acquired Hytron Radio & Electronics Corporation in 1951. The CBS-Hytron name became widely recognized in the radio, television, industrial, and communications electronics industries during the 1950s and 1960s.
Following the acquisition, CBS continued manufacturing Hytron-designed receiving tubes, television tubes, transmitting tubes, and industrial electronic components under the CBS-Hytron branding. The company became a major supplier of replacement tubes for television service shops and electronics distributors during the peak vacuum tube era.
CBS-Hytron products were commonly used in radios, television receivers, laboratory instruments, military electronics, communications systems, and amateur radio equipment. The company manufactured both consumer-grade and industrial-grade vacuum tubes, including miniature receiving tubes, compactrons, rectifiers, and transmitting tubes.
As semiconductor technology replaced vacuum tubes during the 1960s and 1970s, CBS-Hytron gradually reduced tube manufacturing operations.
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electronics Manufacturing |
| Parent Company | Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) |
| Established | 1951 |
| Products | Vacuum tubes, television tubes, transmitting tubes, rectifiers |
| Brands | CBS-Hytron, CBS |
| Markets | Consumer electronics, industrial, military, communications |
Description
CBS-Hytron manufactured vacuum tubes for a wide variety of electronic equipment including home radios, televisions, oscilloscopes, communications receivers, amateur radio transmitters, and industrial control systems.
The company became especially prominent during the television service era, when replacement vacuum tubes were commonly sold through electronics parts distributors and service centers. CBS-Hytron tube packaging became widely recognized in North American electronics repair shops.
History
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1921 | Hytron Radio & Electronics Corporation founded |
| 1951 | CBS acquired Hytron Radio & Electronics Corporation |
| 1950s | CBS-Hytron became major supplier of television and radio vacuum tubes |
| 1960s | Expanded television receiving tube and industrial tube production |
| 1970s | Vacuum tube manufacturing declined due to semiconductor adoption |
Historical Addresses
| Period | Address |
|---|---|
| 1950s | CBS-Hytron, Danvers, Massachusetts |
| 1950s–1960s | CBS Electronics Division, Newburyport, Massachusetts |
| 1950s | CBS-Hytron, Lowell, Massachusetts |
References
- https://www.radiomuseum.org/dsp_hersteller_detail.cfm?company_id=2401
Radiomuseum historical company profile for CBS-Hytron. - https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/people/cp138093/hytron
Science Museum Group archive covering Hytron and CBS-Hytron corporate history. - https://www.one-electron.com/Archives/Tube/Hytron/Hytron.html
Archive containing CBS-Hytron and Hytron vacuum tube documentation and literature. - https://frank.pocnet.net/sheets/127/c/CBS-Hytron.pdf
CBS-Hytron technical vacuum tube documentation archive.