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Ultra Electric Ltd.; London

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Name: Ultra Electric Ltd.; London    (GB)  
alternative name:
Ultra Radio and Television
Abbreviation: ultra
Products: Model types
Summary:

Edward E. Rosen & Co. (1919 – 1924)
Ultra Electric Ltd. (1924 -         )
661-663 Harrow Road, London NW10 (1923 -1932)
Erskine Road, Chalk Farm, N.W.3. (1932 – 1935)
Western Avenue, Acton, London, W.3. (1935 -        )


Brands: Magnaphone, Ultra

 

Edward E. Rosen & Co. initially manufactured earphones & speakers under the Magnaphone brand in 1919 and in 1924 changed the company name to Ultra Electric Ltd. with the Ultra brand. The company went on to manufacture radios, televisions, and amplifiers. During WW2 the company manufactured products for the aviation industry. Post WW2 they continued with aviation products and in the 1950s also manufactured TV receivers.

From the 2020s the company operates under five strategic business units; Maritime, Intelligence & Communications, Precision Control Systems, Energy, and Forensic Technology. It has facilities in the UK, North America, and Australia. 

Founded: 1919
Production: 1919 -
History:

The company that would eventually become Ultra Electronics was started by wireless specialist Teddy Rosen (1896 – 1966) as Edward E. Rosen & Co. in 1919. [1]

The firm was initially focused on the manufacture of high-quality headphones and loudspeakers.

In 1923, the company relocated to new premises at Harrow Road, London. In 1925, a new company, known as Ultra Electric Ltd., was formed; the Ultra name had been previously used for one of its products, the adjustable moving iron headphone. [2)

During 1930, Ultra launched its first all-electric radio receiver the DCP.  Also in 1931, Ultra received its first order from the aviation industry, having been placed by the Japanese Kawasaki Company. [3] As a result of further expansion in 1932, the company moved to larger premises at Erskine Road, Chalk Farm. Three years later, a new 150,000 sq ft (14,000 m2) factory at Western Avenue, Acton was constructed.

During the 1930s, Ultra manufactured a wide range of domestic radio receivers including the Blue Fox, Lynx, Panther, and Tiger models.  

In 1937 the company produced its first Television Receivers the T20 and the T30 combination TV and radio receiver.

In 1939, the company presented the T22  television receiver to the market for the BBC High Definition Television Service which was transmitted on 405 lines from the studios at Alexandra Palace, north London.

During WW2, Ultra diversified into aviation; the Short Stirling was the first aircraft to incorporate their products, the company acting as a subcontractor to produce tails and bomb doors for the bomber.  Ultra would produce a wide range of aerostructures for numerous aircraft throughout the conflict. The firm solely focused on wartime demands, and in 1945 commenced domestic radio 

Post-war

Ultra continued to manufacture products for the aviation industry after the war.  Various engines, including the Armstrong Siddeley Mamba and the Rolls-Royce Avon, incorporated components such as temperature regulators, fuel flow valves, and throttle controls produced by Ultra. Electronic control systems would become a key part of the company's product range.

In 1956, the firm opened a new factory at Gosport for the production of both televisions and radio sets; Ultra acquired rival company Pilot Radio & Television in 1959. During the following year, Ultra reorganised itself, splitting into two divisions, one specialising in domestic radio and television and the other focused on all other electronic products.

In July 1961 Ultra Electronics Ltd. acquired Trix Electronics Ltd., which since incorporation on 1st May has been a subsidiary of the Trix Electrical Company. Trix Electronics will continue to manufacture and install sound amplification equipment for public address and aircraft work.

Also in 1961, Ultra's consumer electronics interests became part of Thorn Electrical Industries, which continued to manufacture products using the Ultra brand name until 1974.

As a result of the acquisition, the remainder of the company became Ultra Electronics Ltd. Amongst its varied product range at this time, it produced the Jezebel and Mini-Jezebel sonobuoys.

In 1962, Ultra developed its Search and Rescue and Homing (SARAH) radio beacon, which would be widely used throughout the world. Various subsystems of Concorde, including the droop nose controls and the full authority engine controls, incorporated Ultra technologies.

In 1977, Ultra Electronics was bought by the Dowty Group. In 1982, the firm became a component of Dowty Group's newly founded Electronic Systems Division.

During 1990, the division was relocated to Loudwater, Buckinghamshire.

In 1993, Ultra was the subject of a management buyout, led by Julian Blogh, of seven Dowty Group plc companies that formed the Dowty Group Electronic Systems Divisions, which had been previously acquired by TI Group in 1992.

The newly independent company relocated to Greenford, Middlesex in 1994. In September 1995, Ultra Electronics received its first major export order from the American government, to supply support equipment for its McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II fleet. It was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1996.[3]

 

During the late 1990s, Ultra Electronics began to vigorously promote its active noise control systems, marketed as UltraQuiet: the firm argued that aircraft manufacturers can deploy it to decrease cabin noise, which has been a traditionally prevalent drawback of turboprop-powered aircraft, such as regional airliners, in comparison to their jet-powered counterparts.  It also developed further noise reduction technologies during this period. Various companies, including Bombardier Aerospace and Airbus, have chosen to incorporate Ultra Electronics' noise reduction and vibration-dampening products onto their aircraft.

According to Flight International, since regaining its independence in the 1990s, the corporate strategy of Ultra Electronics appears to have been slanted towards maintaining a diverse product range, avoiding any large exposures to a single market, as well as being intentionally widely dispersed geographically.

In 2000, Ultra Electronics acquired Datel Ferranti Group. It also acquired American voice communications provider Audiopack Technologies in 2004. By 2005, Ultra Electronics was ranked as the 66th biggest aerospace company in the world: at this point in time, the American market accounted for around one-third of the business's turnover.

In August 2021, the British aerospace and defence company, Cobham, agreed to acquire Ultra Electronics for £2.6bn. A merger inquiry into the anticipated acquisition (Ultra Electronics is a key national security and the defence contractor, Cobham, is American owned) was completed in January 2022,  with a report being passed to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Kwasi Kwarteng. In July 2022, Kwarteng announced that the acquisition was cleared to proceed.

The company operates under five strategic business units; Maritime, Intelligence & Communications, Precision Control Systems, Energy, and Forensic Technology. It has facilities in the UK, North America, and Australia.

 In January 2020, Ultra launched new branding. [3]

 

 

[1] Broadcaster Trade Annual 1936, Page 48.
[2] Modern Wireless Oct 1924 Page 550.
[3] Wikipedia, accessed March 2023.


Some models:
Country Year Name 1st Tube Notes
GB  99/99 Dublette mit ID=79008   Price £13.17s.6d. plus tax. Colour brown with white front. Other colours were produced in ... 
GB  47 ET4011 TH41  Dial lamp: 8042 (4V/0,5A). 
GB  53/54 Coronation Twin Deluxe R906 1C2  NOTE RE. SCHEMATICS V2 voltage is shown incorrectly it should be 85v not 8.5v De-luxe ... 
GB  57 Troubadour FM950 UCC85   
GB  30 DC 3   Also an AC version. 
GB  31 Tiger Three Midget    
GB  32 Blue Fox [AC mains] AC2HL  Walnut veneered plywood cabinet. 
GB  33 Tiger [AC] AC/SG  Metal rectifier. 
GB  32 Tiger [AC/DC]   Metal rectifier. 
GB  33 Tiger [Battery] S215   
GB  33 Lynx 52 [AC]    
GB  34 22 [Table Electric] AC/TP  A.C. Mains (25 cycles to Special Order). 

[rmxhdet-en]

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

[1] Broadcaster Trade Annual 1936, Page 48. worldradiohistory.comtbn_gb_ultra_1_broadcaster_trade_annual_1936_page_48.jpg
Modern Wireless Oct 1924 Page 550. worldradiohistory.comtbn_gb_ultra_2_modern_wireless_oct_1924_page_550.jpg
Magnaphone Headphones Amateur Wireless Sep 23, 1922, Page 339. worldradiohistory.comtbn_gb_ultra_amateur_wirless_sep_23_1922_page_339.jpg
Edward E. Rosen Obituary. Wireless World Apr 1966, Page 176. worldradiohistory.comtbn_gb_ultra_wireless_world_apr_1966_page_176.jpg
Scanned from the Ultra Electric Ltd. Folder.tbn_ultra_folder_page1.jpg
Scanned from the Ultra Electric Ltd. Folder.tbn_ultra_folder_22_radiogram.jpg
Scanned from the Ultra Electric Ltd. Folder.tbn_ultra_folder_22_44.jpg
Scanned from the Ultra Electric Ltd. Folder.tbn_ultra_folder_55_44.jpg
Logo in 1934.tbn_gb_ultra_logo_1934.jpg
Thanks for Mr.Molnár Tibor, Budapest, Hungary & Első Zalai Rádiómúzeum Alapítvány, Zalaegerszeg.tbn_gb_ultra_brandname_1934.jpg
tbn_uk_ultra_u511_back_plate.jpg
tbn_logo_ultra.jpg

  

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