Lorain Electronics Corporation (LEC)

The Lorain equipment images (1940s-50s) shown below are in a roughly chronological order, and unless otherwise noted all images on this page are courtesy of Robert Carver

A LC-50D 1944 boat installation on the SS George F. Baker being operated by Capt. Homer R. Johnson	A LC-50D 1944 boat installation

We know a lot about the two pictures above - information gleaned from enlargements of the paperwork on the wall. The photos were taken on September 16 or 18, 1944. The boat belonged to the Pittsburgh Steamship Company (US Steel), and one of the officers was Homer R. Johnson (pictured) - Master's License # 165746. What we didn't know initially was the name of the boat. However detective work by Dennis Widdows identified it as the SS George F. Baker.

This beautiful 6 foot high cabinet from the early 1940s housed a Type LC-50 D - 4 channel AM rig	Type LC-50 D Inside - Click for large image

Type LC 50 96 - 6 Channel AM MF/HF rig	Type LC 100D - 8 Channel MF/HF rig (DC Supply Typical early 1950s gear.

Type LC 100-8 (AC Supply) in process of being installed on the Wm. G. Mather WB 4521	Eight channel AM MF/HF in high cabinet (DC Supply)

Ten Channel AM MF/HF unit of mid- 1950's - vintage (AC Supply)	Shipboard VHF-FM radio Type MC-261 - 7 Channel - Dual Rx - 1952 vintage - This unit is mostly (if not all) GE Pre-Progress Line as GE had a unit with the same model number. - LEC may have made a few changes to suit their needs.

Type MC-261 VHF-FM unit being installed on the Wm. G. Mather by Chester Dobeck - (Early-mid 1950s)	Control head and accessories - 1950s vintage.

LEC Encoder for Amoco ocean going oil tanker	Installing the equipment control head aboard the Wm. G. Mather Probably by RobertWelsh ?? - (Early-mid 1950s)

Captain (?) - Steamer John T. Hutchinson (WA 6537) using Radio-Telephone	This Model LRK 3 channel 120VAC monitor receiver is probably from the 1950s. It was likely used on shore by companies and crew families - Click on the image for a larger view and images of the inside. - Photo from Mark Karney who owns the unit.

The control head in the picture at the left immediately above is for a dual MF/HF and VHF-FM radio-telephone installation. Here's an enlarged image of and more information about the control head showing the channel numbers and their purpose.

Lorain VHF-FM Control Head	A 14 channel control head for VHF-FM.

Here is a PDF of some photos of the LEC LC 100 M8 found in a Chicago surplus warehouse in 2007.

We have three Lorain advertisements. The first advertises Lorain's services and is courtesy of Joe Papworth, K8MP. It is from the April 1947 issue of the Great Lakes Review. The second advertisement is from a September 1954 Lorain County Radio Corp. publication entitled "Study Guide for Third Class Radio-Telephone Operator Permit." The MC-261 unit in the tall cabinet on the right in the advertisement was built by General Electric in Syracuse, NY. In 1959, when the Archivist first went to work as a design engineer for General Electric, equipment of this vintage had already been replaced by newer designs, but GE later supplied Lorain Electronics with several versions of newer VHF-FM receiver and transmitter chassis for shipboard installations and also, I believe, for the LEC 14 station automated VHF-FM network . The third ad is a Canadian GE ad for Lorain VHF-FM gear with GE RF modules.

This short item is from a history of GE's mobile radio business: May, 1955 - Cruise of the yacht, Cappy, on the Great Lakes to survey coverage furnished by Lorain County Radio Corporation's, 250 Watt GE station, at Lorain, Ohio.

Here's a very nice 8 Page Lorain Electronics advertising brochure from about 1954, and a 1976 LEC calendar.

Here's a photo of 4 workers assembling electronic chassis in the LEC factory. Names and date unknown.

John Dean provided a 1964 list of LEC employees A-K and L-W saved by this father-in-law Frank Bako, a former LEC employee. Richard Hartwig, K8ML has provided listings of LEC employees in 1980 and 1982-1 and 1982-2. Personal addresses and telephone numbers have been removed from the last 3 lists.

All of the Lorain Electronics Sales & Service Dept. personnel quite at the end of 1980 shortly after the purchase of LEC by Oakmont Electronics. Most of the technicians then to work for ITT-Mackay Marine and became the Great Lakes Depot of same. In 1985 the remaining contents of 2307 Leavitt Rd. were sold and Lorain Electronics closed it's doors.

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