OT: Clarence C. Moore was an amateur radio operator with call signs of W9LZX and HC1JB.

[D.J.J. Ring, Jr.]

In 1947 an Elkhart, Indiana minister named Clarence C. Moore developed
and patented the cubical quad antenna, patented as US 2,537,191.
founded the International Radio and Electronics Corporation (IREC)
which, over the years, has become better known as Crown Audio Inc.

Moore started by building open-reel tape recorders out of a chicken
coop but today, Crown Audio is an industry leader in amplified sound.
Crown makes amps for cinema venues, installed sites, touring rigs,
portable PA and commercial audio. With over 67 years of focus on
innovation and providing the best user experience, Crown Audio is
continually raising the bar in audio amplification.

Clarence C. Moore, a longtime radio enthusiast, had spent the early
part of the ’40s in Quito, Ecuador working for HCJB, a non-profit
Christian broadcasting and engineering group. He designed the 500,000
watt transmitter used by his station HCJB "The Voice of the Andies".
With that kind of power they were heard world-wide especially with the
antennas Moore designed.

Following his return to the United States, he felt the desire to
supply Christian broadcasters like HCJB with quality electronic
products. As a result, Moore founded International Radio and
Electronics Corporation (IREC) in 1947 and converted a former chicken
coop into the budding manufacturer’s first production facility.

The company’s early reputation was built on a family of rugged and
compact open-reel tape recorders designed to operate reliably when
used by missionaries in remote, often-primitive regions of the world.
After modifying and distributing several existing models (Magnecord,
Recordio, Pentron and Crestwood) for the first couple of years, Moore
obtained a patent in 1949 for a groundbreaking invention: the world’s
first tape recorder with a built-in power amplifier (15 watts). This
invention led the way for several more in the next 15 years. In 1964,
the company invented their first solid-state amplifier called the SA
20-20. From then on, the focus switched from tape recorders to
amplifiers and the business was quickly growing.

Unfortunately, amongst all of the growth and development, a fire
erupted on Thanksgiving Day in 1971 and destroyed over 60% of the
facility and the remainder of the plant was severely damaged. There
was $1 million of uninsured inventory destroyed in the process.
However, Mr. Moore wasn’t going to let this disaster stop him now.
Production resumed within 6 weeks with the latest of their inventions,
the D-60 amplifier.

Eventually, Moore’s wife and co-founder, Ruby (deceased 2002),
suggested that a name change was in order. Since IREC had by this
point produced vacuum tube tape recorders branded ‘Royal’ and
‘Imperial’, in addition to the fact that the emblem on those products
was a fancy crown, she felt that the company should simply be called
Crown. In 1975, the stockholders voted to change the name of the
corporation to Crown International, Inc.

[w1...@cs.com]

Thank you DR, very interesting history. 

73,

BB

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