Ben H. Tongue and Blonder-Tongue Labs

Ben's first job after college (BSEE from Northeastern Univ. in 1945 and BSEE from Brooklyn Polytechnic Inst. in 1948) was as a jr. Engineer at Federal Telephone and Radio Corp. in Newark NJ. The end of WW II and consequent US Government contract cancellations quickly ended that job. Employment was then obtained at Panoramic Radio Corp. from late1945 through late 1949, where he progressed from jr. to Chief Engineer. He then co-founded Blonder-Tongue Labs with Isaac S. Blonder in early 1950. That Company specialized in products related to TV reception and distribution in both home and commercial/educational environments He and Ike Blonder retired in 1989. The company continues operations under the new management at its plant in Old Bridge, NJ. Ben is a Life Member of IEEE and Fellow in the Radio Club of America. Blonder Tongue's Website

If you would like to see pictures of the first products Ben designed, in their entirety, at Panoramic Radio Corp, click here

Here are some early Blonder-Tongue Products to look at.
Electronic design by co-founder Ben H. Tongue.

Patented Inventions by Ben H. Tongue* Advanced Patent Search
Patent #	Brief description	Product(s) using the invention
2,609,466*	Thermorelay element - Invented by Ike Blonder	Many
2,661,419	Wide band audio spectrum analyzer	Model AP-1, (mfg. by Panoramic Radio Corp), released in 1948
2,710,314	Wide band amplifying system for low noise fixed-tuned VHF TV boosters and MATV systems	HA1-L - This is the first product manufactured by B-T
2,710,315	Wide band amplifying system using a quadruple tuned circuit	AB-1, CA1-B, DA8-b, HA-2-M, HA-3
2,733,413	Cable attenuation equalizer circuit	LLE-1, ME-1, ME-2
2,761,022	Amplifier system	CS-1 and UC-1 - Plug-in channel amplifiers for MA4-1
2,761,023	Wide band neutralized radio frequency amplifier	MLA, first version
2,761,135	Multi-signal electric system	MA4-1 - Combiner for CS-1 and UC-1 channelized products
2,776,408	High frequency transmission line coupling network	MDC-2 Two port hybrid splitter for VHF TV
2,778,934	Neutralized amplifier system	not used
2,778,943*	Tunable elecrrical circuit elements	BTU-2, BTC-99 home-type UHF TV Converters
2,790,036	Neutralization of a pentode using the supressor grid	MCS single channel VHF amplifier, Hot-Shot VHF single channel amp, Powerhouse, high output VHF broadband amp. covering channels 2-13.
2,815,406	Wide band distribution amplifier system for VHF TV signals	DA2-1-M, DA8-1-M Two and eight output VHF dist. amps.
2,833,924	Amplitude stabilizer oscillating circuit (crystal oscillator)	MVC, MLC, MUC
2,857,511	Balanced mixer	MLC (converts any Low band VHF channel to another)
2,914,737	Transmission line tapoff,	MIT-4 (low insertion loss & good backmatch)
2,977,553	Transmission line & method of making same	A-102, A-104 signal splitters for feeding several TV sets
2,983,876	Electronic tuned circuit using one triode and no physical inductor	B-9 Audio Baton vacuum tube audio EQ
2,986,706	Coupling reducing apparatus	MLA-b, BT-3, HAB, AB-3
2,999,985	Electron tube stabilized amplifier (neutralize a shielded-grid tube)	BTU-2T home-type UHF TV Converter
3,071,735	Phase shift reducing apparatus (audio amp inverse feedback)	not used
3,044,022	System for wide-band neutralization	not used
3,156,872	Unilateralized transistor relay system	not used
3,239,774	Transistor power supply configuration, minimizes distortion	BT-3, Very early Broadband VHF MATV transistorized amplifier
3,309,612* 3,332,022	Tunnel diode converter systems	BTD-44 home-type UHF converter using a tunnel diode powered by a single D cell
3,360,731	Balanced to unbalanced impedance transformer	BTX-111, BTC-999 and BT-666 solid-state home-type UHF TV converters
3,413,563	Wide band transistor amplifier (inductive coupled emitter feedback)	Many broadband VHF transistor amplifier products
3,605,031	Wide band low distortion alternating curent amplifier	not used
3,624,561	Broadband aperiodic attenuator apparatus	not used
3,868,604	Constant resistance adjustable slope equalizer	not used
* means 'Invention by someone other than Ben H. Tongue'

Some early Blonder-Tongue product literature**
Product Name	Patent(s) used
A-102, A-104 passive signal splitters for feeding several TVs from one antenna	2,977,553
A-1 - 10 Watt HI-Fi audio amplifier/preamp	3,116,462
Blonder-Tongue's solid-state home type UHF converter line for 1971	3,360,731
BT3 - Very early transistorized VHF TV amplifier for MATV	3,239,774
B-9, Audio Baton graphic equalizer. Listen to the LP supplied with every Blonder-Tongue Audio Baton here	2,983,876
B-T Component Home Music Center	none
BTD-44, UHF Converter using a tunnel diode, powered by one D cell	3,309,612* 3,332,022
BTU-2, the first B-T tuneable UHF converters for home use	2,778,943
CA-1B, broadband amplifier, second version, for use in MATV systems. The patents were used in many other B-T VHF broadband amps.	2,710,314 2,710,315
HA1-L, first catalog sheets for the first B-T product	2,710,314
MCA, VHF TV strip amplifier; first production version	2,790,036
MLA-b, Second version, broadband VHF TV amp, channels 2-13	2,986,706
PVM, Projection Video Monitor
TVC-1B, First vacuum tube B-T vidicon TV camera and TV monitors
TTVC-1, B-T's first Transistorized TV camera
U-Boost, UHF TV booster tuneable from channel 14-83	none
* means 'Invention by someone other than Ben H. Tongue' **To view some of these documents, one must be able to read .doc documents (Microsoft Word) and Adobe (.pdf) files. Some documents are fairly large, please be patient. Some documents are multi-paged - Scroll down to view them.	--

This first Blonder-Tongue product was a low-noise, broadband, fixed-tuned 12 channel VHF TV booster amplifier that used four tubes. It employs a patented RF coupling circuit invented by Ben H. Tongue and was used to improve fringe area TV reception. This unit and its successors were produced from 1950 through about 1960: Model HA-1L	Here is the first B-T UHF tube type converter housed in a plastic cabinet. It was used to enable TV sets of its time to receive the then new UHF TV stations broadcasting on channels 14-83. Various tubed and solid state B-T UHF converters for home use were in continuous production from 1952 through about 1980: Model BTU-2	Here is the 'Audio Baton', model B-9. It was the first 'no-inductor' graphic audio equalizer for hi-fi and broadcast use. The unit uses six vacuum tubes and an audio band-pass filter circuit invented and patented by Ben H. Tongue. Nine one-octave bands are individually controlled. Manufactured from about 1959 through 1961. Listen to the demo LP supplied with every B-9 here
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