Electronics Australia
Encyclopedia
Electronics Australia was Australia
's longest-running general electronics
magazine.
It can claim to trace its history to 1922 when the Wireless Weekly magazine was formed. Its content was a mix of general and technical articles on the new topic of radio
.
In 1939 the magazine became monthly and was renamed Radio and Hobbies. As its name suggests it was a more technical publication for hobbyists, but it also featured articles on television
, optics
, music and aviation
. Nonetheless its base was radio, and it contained many how-to-build projects. The first editor was John Moyle.
With the advent of television, television
was added to its title in the 1950s, Radio Television & Hobbies, or RTV&H. During these years numerous how-to-build articles on high fidelity
audio, amateur radio
and even electronic organ
s and television sets were published.
The growing fields of scientific, medical, computing
and other applications of electronics necessitated a name change to 'Electronics Australia' in 1965.
Electronics Australia published a number of innovative computer construction projects, including the Educ-8
in 1974, the Mini Scamp, the Dream 6800 and the Super-80
- a joint venture with Dick Smith Electronics
.
Although many competitors came and went during the 1970s and 1980s, such as Electronics Today International and Australian Electronics Monthly, Electronics Australia survived into the 2000s.
For a couple of years more consumer electronics items were introduced, and technical material occupied the rear pages. Possibly due to this reduction in importance of technical slant, several of the magazine's staff moved to its main rival Silicon Chip
.
A change of name to Electronics Australia Today spelt the death knell. All technical content was removed and EAT changed focus to become a purely consumer publication. Original readers and advertisers deserted in droves and the magazine failed to pick up new readers (there were already many established magazines covering consumer electronics).
The rights to Electronics Australia are now owned by Silicon Chip
who have now made some back issues available on CD.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's longest-running general electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
magazine.
It can claim to trace its history to 1922 when the Wireless Weekly magazine was formed. Its content was a mix of general and technical articles on the new topic of radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
.
In 1939 the magazine became monthly and was renamed Radio and Hobbies. As its name suggests it was a more technical publication for hobbyists, but it also featured articles on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, optics
Optics
Optics is the branch of physics which involves the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light...
, music and aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
. Nonetheless its base was radio, and it contained many how-to-build projects. The first editor was John Moyle.
With the advent of television, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
was added to its title in the 1950s, Radio Television & Hobbies, or RTV&H. During these years numerous how-to-build articles on high fidelity
High fidelity
High fidelity—or hi-fi—reproduction is a term used by home stereo listeners and home audio enthusiasts to refer to high-quality reproduction of sound or images, to distinguish it from the poorer quality sound produced by inexpensive audio equipment...
audio, amateur radio
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
and even electronic organ
Electronic organ
An electronic organ is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally, it was designed to imitate the sound of pipe organs, theatre organs, band sounds, or orchestral sounds....
s and television sets were published.
The growing fields of scientific, medical, computing
Computing
Computing is usually defined as the activity of using and improving computer hardware and software. It is the computer-specific part of information technology...
and other applications of electronics necessitated a name change to 'Electronics Australia' in 1965.
Electronics Australia published a number of innovative computer construction projects, including the Educ-8
Educ-8
The EDUC-8, pronounced "educate", was an early microcomputer kit published by Electronics Australia in a series of articles starting in August 1974 and continuing to August 1975. Electronics Australia initially believed that it was the first such kit, but later discovered that Radio-Electronics had...
in 1974, the Mini Scamp, the Dream 6800 and the Super-80
Dick Smith Super-80 Computer
The Dick Smith Super-80 was a Zilog Z80 based kit computer developed as a joint venture between Electronics Australia magazine and Dick Smith Electronics...
- a joint venture with Dick Smith Electronics
Dick Smith Electronics
Dick Smith is an international electronics retailer, founded in 1968 by Richard "Dick" Smith. Today, it is a subsidiary of Woolworths Limited, incorporating Tandy, and the remaining Dick Smith Powerhouse Stores...
.
Although many competitors came and went during the 1970s and 1980s, such as Electronics Today International and Australian Electronics Monthly, Electronics Australia survived into the 2000s.
For a couple of years more consumer electronics items were introduced, and technical material occupied the rear pages. Possibly due to this reduction in importance of technical slant, several of the magazine's staff moved to its main rival Silicon Chip
Silicon Chip
Silicon Chip is an Australian electronics magazine. It was started in November, 1987 by Leo Simpson. Following the demise of Electronics Australia, it is the only hobbyist-related electronics magazine remaining in Australia.- Magazine :...
.
A change of name to Electronics Australia Today spelt the death knell. All technical content was removed and EAT changed focus to become a purely consumer publication. Original readers and advertisers deserted in droves and the magazine failed to pick up new readers (there were already many established magazines covering consumer electronics).
The rights to Electronics Australia are now owned by Silicon Chip
Silicon Chip
Silicon Chip is an Australian electronics magazine. It was started in November, 1987 by Leo Simpson. Following the demise of Electronics Australia, it is the only hobbyist-related electronics magazine remaining in Australia.- Magazine :...
who have now made some back issues available on CD.
External links
- History of Electronics Australia (archived by Web Archive)
- http://www.siliconchip.com.au