EMC Society Newsletter Review –
50–25–10 Years Ago
April and May – 1960 – Two newsletters were published by the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) Professional Group on Radio Frequency Interference (PGRFI) in the second quarter of 1960. The IRE Professional Group on RFI was the forerunner to the IEEE EMC Society.
Newsletter Number 10 was released in April of 1960. The cover page article was about the Second National Symposium on Radio Frequency Interference which was held June 13–14, 1960 in Washington, DC. The Chair of the Sponsoring Committee was James S. Hill from Jansky and Bailey and the Vice-Chair was Herman Garlan of the United States Federal Communications Commission. The Advance Registration Fee was $2 for PGRFI members, $3 for IRE members, and $5 for non-members.
     Newsletter Number 11 was printed in May of 1960. Its cover page was also focused on the Second National Symposium on RFI. The Keynote Speaker on the first day was R. Randall from OSD-DDR&E who spoke on “Getting on Top of the Nation’s RFI Prediction and Measurement Efforts.” The Chairmen of the three technical sections included Ralph Showers from the University of Pennsylvania, O. Salati from the University of Pennsylvania, and J. Egli from Fort Monmouth, New Jersey.
     Papers in the Showers section included “Characteristics Needed for RFI Prediction” by Donald R. J. White, “The Jansky and Bailey Computer Simulation Model” by D. Ports, “The American Machine and Foundry Computer Simulation Model” by W. G. James, and “The GE Computer Simulation Model” by J. Lambert.
     Papers in the Salati section included “Antenna Patterns” by E. Jacobs, “Aerial Pattern Measurements” by A. Albin, “Communications Transmitter and Receiver Spectral Signature” by C. Blakely, “Radar Transmitter and Receiver Spectral Signatures” by H. Sacks, and “Strong Signal Receiver Problems” by D. McClenon.
     The Third Section, chaired by J. Egli, included “The Army’s Electromagnetic Environmental Test Facility” by J. Homsy, “Making RFI Predictions in the Field” by J. McShulskis, “Reducing Interference to C-E Systems Through Standardization” by Major L. Yarbrough, “Designing RFI Reduction into Equipments” by R. Keith and C. R. Billheimer, “Propagation Phenomena” by H. Reed, and “Signal Acceptability Criteria” by R. Schwartz.
     A field trip to the FCC Lab near Laurel, Maryland was part of the Second National Symposium.
     New books advertised in the Newsletter included “Circuit Theory of Linear Noisy Networks” by Hermann A. Haus and Richard B. Adler; “Principles and Applications of Random Noise Theory” by Julius Bendat; and “Noise in Electron Devices” by Louis D. Smullin and Hermann A. Haus.
     A Note from the Editor (Rexford Daniels) said: “To those of us who have been in interference control work for many years, we have found that there is no substitute for knowing our “opposite numbers” in the various military and government departments who are charged with the preservation of the electromagnetic spectrum for the good of the country. This Symposium offers every member of PGRFI a unique opportunity to meet those in Washington who can help them in their problems, or can refer them to others nearer home who can also be of help. The Committee is well aware of the many and diverse interests of many who will be attending the Symposium and is making an effort to see that all questions can be answered. Your editor cannot urge you too strongly to attend this Symposium and meet the people in the government who can be continually of value to you in your work.”

Twenty-Five Years Ago – Issue
No. 125 – Spring – 1985
The headlines of the Newsletter covered two topics: Nominations for Board of Directors and the 1985 IEEE International Symposium on EMC.
     Nominations for the election of the EMC Society Board of Directors were being accepted by William G. Duff, Nomination Chairman. A petition form, including a biographical summary, had to be received by June 1, 1985. The Biographical Summary was not to exceed one-half typewritten page, containing the following: Education History, Work History, Technical Committee Service, and IEEE/EMC Membership.
     The 1985 IEEE International Symposium on EMC was held August 20–22, 1985 at the Colonial Hilton in Wakefield, Massachusetts. The symposium’s theme was “EMC – A Universal Goal.” The theme was chosen to stress the need for engineers of all disciplines to be concerned about EMC. The General Chairman was Chester (Chet) L. Smith and the Registration Chairman was Arthur Murphy.
     The Newsletter from 1985 also included a Point and Counterpoint article by Anthony (Tony) Zimbalatti; a Chapter Chatter column by Charles F. W. Anderson, Book Reviews by Jim Hill, and EMC Abstracts by Melvin J. Johnson. The Editor was Robert Goldblum.

Ten Years Ago – Issue No. 185 – Spring – 2000
The cover of the Newsletter was shared by an article by Dan Hoolihan on “Mutual Recognition Agreements for Conformity Assessment: What are They?” and a picture of Art Wall of the FCC at an ANSI-ASC C63® committee meeting on EMC.
     The President’s message, by Joe Butler, was keyed to “Running on Electromagnetic Energy.” The Chapter Chatter column was written by Associate Editor Todd “Story Teller” Hubing. An important article on the Chapter Coordinators Retreat Report was written by Henry Benitez. The Conference he attended was sponsored by the IEEE Technical Activities Board and IEEE Societies and the primary purpose was to get a status report of the current Society/Chapter relationship and share ideas on how we can improve them. The theme for the conference was “Improving Chapter Relations: Key to Society Success.”
     Colin Brench wrote a guest article on “TC-9 Computational EMC.” It addressed the Annual Applied Computational Electromagnetics Society (ACES) conference which draws computational electromagnetics enthusiasts from academia, government and industry. Bob Rothenburg, Associate Editor on Practical Papers, Articles, and Application Notes, published two articles in his column. The first one was by Stephane Laik on “Radio Disturbance Measurement and its Uncertainties” and the second was by George Kunkel on “Penetration of Electromagnetic Fields through Shielding Barrier Material.”
     Norm Violette, an Associate Editor for Book Reviews, reviewed a book by Reinaldo Perez titled “Wireless Communications Design Handbook Aspects of Noise, Interference, and Environmental Concerns – Volume 3: Interference into Circuits.” Don Heirman, Associate Editor for EMC Standards Activity, had a column on the latest in EMC Standards. David Case, Associate Editor, wrote an article on “Inter-Society Activities.”
     Bill Duff, Associate Editor for Personality Profile, wrote an article on Marcello D’Amore. EMC Abstracts were presented by Osamu Fujiwara, Associate Editor. The Editor was Janet O’Neil.                                                                                               EMC

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