Bob Galvin of Motorola Dies

[WU2D]

Bob Galvin died yesterday.  He built Motorola into an American icon.

Bob Galvin, who oversaw Motorola’s invention of the cell phone and helped change the way the world communicates, has died at the age of 89. Galvin led Motorola as CEO and later chairman as the company developed the first cell phones in the 1970s and 80s, ushering in a new industry.

Galvin took the reins at Motorola in 1959 from his father and company founder Paul Galvin and stepped down in 1988 when his son Christopher became CEO, remaining on Motorola’s board until 2001. During that time Motorola practically invented an industry that has touched nearly everyone in the developed world: there are now more wireless subscribers in the U.S. than there are people.

When I worked at MOT, in the early 1980's they were at the top of their game, it was fun every day to go to work and we were constantly challenged to innovate and we were highly rewarded and valued. The management team was fabulous - when was the last time you heard that about any company?

Today's Motorola brings to mind a company that has lost its way - disappointment, cynicism, and fear are rampant at all level of the (much smaller) company. But there was a time....


Mike WU2D

[WA3VJB]

I have had and enjoyed some great radios in Motorola history.

1. HT220
One of the best commercial handhelds ever manufactured.

2. "Brick Phone"
My first cellphone, soon after the prototype cellular telephone systems were activated in Washington, DC (and Chicago).

3. MT1000 (and less endowed sister the HT600)
Excellent, rugged, programmable handheld that remains my "main" portable 20 years after they were made.

[WA1GFZ]

then Chris took over with his bean counters

[WB2EMS]

Pre-bean counter era they were an amazing company. I used to work in land mobile radio development, and at times we'd be competing against them for contracts and take some of their gear apart to learn what we could about it. It was so well done, so well thought out and integrated, that we'd be left shaking our heads in admiration and wishing we could work there too. Then there was all the amazing test equipment they produced that we used on a daily basis.

Now they are a shadow of their former selves, having seemingly lost their way as so many other American icons seem to have.

[WA1GFZ]

I worked for them for a short time after Chris took over and saw him mess things up.
Solid radios turned into plastic trash not worth the big price.
I could not deal with the JS everything mind set and got out.

[Jim, W5JO]

I worked for them from 1975 until 1679 then again from 1983 till 1987.  Chris ruined the company focusing entirely on the cell industry.  By the time they were deeply involved, other companies in Europe had the edge and Motorola never could get ahead.  Chris was an idiot and has now sold the cell division to someone.  I suppose he thinks they will be a big player in the Fed, State and Local government change over to digital carriers.

Talk about an apple falling far from the tree, Chris is a prime example.  As Walt said, it was a fabulous place to work with encouragement everywhere.  That is gone now.

[K6JEK]

Rest in peace, Bob, Dennis and Steve.

[KA3EKH]

The two things that impressed and formed the foundation for almost all the ham radio stuff I have ever done starting from my adolescent year and down to today were military surplus equipment and Motorola. I have worked with all types of radios and equipment but always considered Motorola the Cadillac of radios back in the seventies and eighties. Maybe because I never was able to get over five words per minute and held a novice, then tech that turned into a tech plus and was finally turned into a general and for at least ten or fifteen years only operated VHF and UHF so over that time I have owned Business Dispatchers, Motracks, Micors and Mitreks that were not only used as radios in every vehicle I have owned but also as the base for several repeaters, packet nodes and BBS radios. The Mitrek was an epically good radio for this. I have one pair of VHF and UHF Mitreks that are modified and had used for 9.6 kbs and FM L mode satellite operation. In test equipment I owned first the separate Motorola FM signal generator, deviation meter and frequency counter, then the Motorola 1200 series system services monitors and now daily use a Motorola 2001 for working on broadcast exciters and STL equipment. Can see where the company is nothing like it was and how everything changed by the nineties but the stuff they built in the fifties, sixties up till the late eighties still in my mind will be some of the best that was built for that time. Also have to mention the Motorola URC family of military radios, synthesized VHF/UHF AM/FM terrestrial and satellite transceivers built for the military and still one of my favorite radios. Maybe the last radio produced that uses all common components and is still repairable unlike the LST-5 junk Motorola replaced it with. Have a web page just for that family of radios at:
http://staff.salisbury.edu/~rafantini/this_is_a_urc.htm
Always thought the Mac people are way too over the top about how wonderful the Apple junk is, ok there good computers but the users tend to be over the top about how wonderful and how perfect they are and how stupid everyone else is who's not using their platform. But have to admit that’s about the way I feel in regards to Motorola and many of the things they have done.
Ray F

[Opcom]

My memory of Motorola will always be the older gear and Bob Galvin. I don't like the plastic stuff, it's no good in extreme duty. I once saw a situation where a drunken combatant had grabbed the free end of a cop's baton, and the cop drew his metal cased Motorola radio and brought the corner of the heavy unit down on the guy's hand making him holler and let go the baton. Better than drawing the sidearm in close quarters, which might have happened easily in this present time.

[WA1GFZ]

HT 600 batt would hurt.
HT1000 would explode what does it have 3 screws holding the guts in

[KB2WIG]

' HT 600 batt would hurt. "

The batt case was good for mining nicads...   Just get the dremel 'weel' out and saw away at the bottom. Usally only one or two cells were bad, the rest had some life left in 'em.


klc

[Art]

Bob was a gentleman and had his vision firmly in place. His innovation and willingness to expand and create interdependent divisions was the basis for a corporate dynasty. It was not without it's opportunities for improvement. I remember when Art Sundry stood up at a company wide officers meeting and stated, paraphrased, that Motorola products did not measure up to the quality of the current Japanese offerings in the two way market. (You can imagine the precise wording was somewhat different from my description.) Bobs response was to put Art in charge of resolving that opportunity. He did. The 1984 LA Olympics was a showcase for Motorola technology and may have been the peak of Motorolas greatness under Bob. I can remember being at Chavez ravine watching Olympic baseball and talking on my "Shoe phone" portable? cellular phone. There were the adventures of Santa Cruz island microwave relay sites and setting up for the games at the coliseum. It was a terrific time and the batwing M was everywhere.
I agree the demise of Motorola was shephearded by what I call the Pepperdyne MBA syndrome, nepotism, and just plain poor management after Bob passed the baton, but this is not the time for such grousing.
Bobs legacy is one of success, innovation, and solid management. He was a great guy and the world could use a few more like him.
73
Art

[WU2D]

Our Motorola Ham Club Station was tasked to develop the ham radio station for the Space Shuttle. My friend Bruce WB4YUC made it work. It was going to be a Motorola - or else!

"Garriott, who has been an amateur radio operator for over 40 years, was the first astronaut to take a ham radio into space, pioneering the way for an increasingly well developed amateur radio space program."

"It was my good fortune to take the first amateur radio into space on STS-9 in November 1983," Garriott said. "In my spare time only, I managed to hold up an antenna to the window and to talk to amateurs on Earth."