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In article <6918@fluke.COM>, strong@tc.fluke.COM (Norm Strong) writes:
> }BNC = Baby N Connector.
> }TNC = Threaded N Connector.
> 
> WRONG! WRONG!  
> 
> BNC = Bayonet Navy Connector
> TNC = Threaded Navy Connector

	I'm not certain that anyone posting on this topic has been correct.

	I have always had a keen interest in the history of technology,
and have a large personal collection of books, periodicals and catalogs,
many of which pertain to the development of electrical devices, electronics
and communication.  The controversy and uncertainty in this discussion has
bothered me, so over the course of the past week I spent almost 2 hours
trying to find a definitive answer - but to no avail.

	I can find no references whatsoever to resolve this issue.  I can,
however, reach the following conclusions:

1.	The BNC was definitely not developed by Western Electric (WECO).
	WECO was a major player in the development of radar during
	World War II.  I have scanned through several volumes published
	by Bell Labs which relates their history of science and technology.
	I have looked through some BSP sections, and the BNC was always
	a KS-coded connector - so WECO didn't make it.  Plus, the BNC was
	not WECO's "style".

2.	I do not believe that the BNC was developed until the late 1940's -
	well after World War II.  I have a full set of the famous MIT
	Rad Lab series, and a brief look in some applicable volumes
	shows no BNC connector references.  Type N, yes, and plenty
	of PL-259 and SO-239, plus other connectors (ever a strange
	swivel-type coax connector of British deisgn used on the first
	airborne radar set, the ASV) - but no BNC..  I have looked though
	some army and navy technical manuals (including a few rather
	comprehensive books on communication system engineering) from
	World War II and can find no references to the BNC nor any
	photographs of apparatus where the connector is evident.

3.	I picked about a dozen issues of "Electronics" magazine from
	1945 and 1946 (heavy discussion about military electronics,
	since the war was won or about to be won), and can find no
	advertisements or photographs which depict the BNC.

4.	I have some copies of the Radio Master from 1942 and 1945, and
	looked at the connector sections in detail.  Lots of military
	connectors (like MS-series), but no BNC.  I did notice that
	Cannon had a number of connectors which used a 1, 2 or 3 letter
	part number; some like the WK-series still exist, other weird
	styles have long disappeared.  The only possible theory that
	I can offer - and this is a pure guess - is that the BNC is
	Cannon's original part number.

5.	I also looked at some catalogs of major coaxial connector and
	component vendors (like Cannon, Microdot, H-P, Weinschel, etc.)
	to see if they might have some historical comment - but no luck.

	I am really stumped.  It seems like the BNC just appeared out of
nowhere sometime during the late 1940's.

<>  Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, New York
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