radiomuseum.org
Please click your language flag. Bitte Sprachflagge klicken.

History of the manufacturer  

Turner Co. (The); Cedar Rapids (IA)

As a member you can upload pictures (but not single models please) and add text.
Both will display your name after an officer has activated your content, and will be displayed under «Further details ...» plus the text also in the forum.
Name: Turner Co. (The); Cedar Rapids (IA)    (USA)  
Brand:
Colortone
Abbreviation: turner
Products: Model types
Summary:

The Turner Co. Cedar Rapids Iowa, USA:
Known as the biggest microphone company in the US. In the 1950ies they manufactured also TV Boosters. The brand: Colortone.

After WWII Turner was OEM for many of the microphones sold by a fellow Cedar Rapids firm, The Collins Radio Company. In the early 1970ies Turner had been acquired by Conrac Corporation of Stamford, Connecticut.

Founded: 1931
Closed: 1979
Production: 1931 -
History:

The Turner Co. Cedar Rapids Iowa, USA: David Turner was working on an idea for producing public address systems for funeral homes like his father operated. The basement workshop effort of 1931 was to blossom into quite an industry. The company was famous with their microphones. In the mid-1930’s, David Turner developed a pressure embalming system that revolutionized the little-discussed art. The pressure system of introducing the embalming fluid replaced the old-fashioned gravity flow system.

1936 "The Turner Co." built the first part of its factory in northeast Cedar Rapids and soon it had to expand (in two steps). In 1940 there were about 35 employees. During World War II employment jumped to 210 (about 85 percent were women). An extra building was leased at 1443 First avenue SE. (Now occupied by "The Music Loft." The plant on Seventeenth street was enlarged in 1946. Evans became president of the Company in 1946 when David Turner assumed the chairmanship of the company's board of directors.

1950 the Turner Company in Cedar Rapids manufactured 80,000 microphones and 1,093 embalming machines.

In 1967 the Turner Co. became a wholly owned subsidiary of Conrac Corp. and in December 1971 became a division of Conrac. The Turner Division’s line of microphones were then made for use in communications systems, such as two-way radios, citizen band equipment and ham radio operations; all kinds of microphones for public address systems; and professional broadcast and recording microphones, for radio and television stations, recording studios and the like.

In August 1979, Conrac sold it Telex Corporation. A scant three months later all production at the main plant, 716 Oakland Rd., in Cedar Rapids was discontinued and relocated to Telex facilities in Minnesota and Oklahoma.


Some models:
Country Year Name 1st Tube Notes
USA  36 3S5 77  Communication system. 
USA  36 3S9 77  Communication system. 
USA  33 5780 57   
USA  36 B5 series A 77   
USA  33 Crystal Mic Amplifier   Crystal microphone amplifier. 
USA  33 FS-1000 30  Condenser microphone amplifier. 
USA  34 Amplifier G 57  The Turner G Crystal Microphone Amplifier is the circuit for the Turner G Microphone.  
USA  34 M-16 56  Push-pull af output stage. 
USA  34 M-8 57   
USA  33 MC-16 57  Push-pull af output stage. 
USA  36 PDQ 77   
USA  36 PR-15 77  Communication system. 

[rmxhdet-en]

Further details for this manufacturer by the members (rmfiorg):

Scanned from the Radio Retailing May 1946 page 129.tbn_turner_prom_rr_may46_p129.jpg
tbn_usa_turner_1947_inserat.jpg
tbn_usa_turnerco_profile.jpg
tbn_usa_turnerco_catalogue.jpg
Turner-Prospekttbn_usa_turner_turner_microphones.jpg
Turner-Prospekttbn_usa_turner_turner_microphones1.jpg
tbn_usa_turner_vibrator.jpg
tbn_usa_turner_guarantee.jpg
Here's the most recent piece written about the Turner Company of Cedar Rapids. I am the author – I do a lot of freelance writing for the Linn County Historical Society/The History Center. The piece was published in the Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA) on May 31, 2020. A digital version (with more photos) was published May 27, 2020 at: https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/community/history-happenings-cedar-rapids-company-led-the-way-on-microphones-20200527tbn_turner_co_history_happeningsw.jpg

  

Data Compliance More Information