Readers may recall that Shure entered the wireless microphone market in 1953, exited in 1960, and re-entered in 1986. During the 1970s and early 1980s, we had a profitable OEM business selling mic elements, like the SM58, to manufacturers of wireless mics such as Nady, Vega, Swintek, Edcor, Samson, Telex, and HME.
HME (Harry Miyahira Electronics), San Diego, manufactured a professional VHF wireless mic system that was popular in Las Vegas and Los Angeles during the 1970s.
Harry Miyahira, a native of Hawaii, grew up with a passion for electronics. A ham radio operator at the age of 11 (as was Mr. Shure) Harry held an FCC first-class radio license while in high school and worked part-time at radio station KMVI in Maui. After receiving a Bachelor of Science/Electrical Engineering from Purdue University, he served in the U.S. military. During his stint, Miyahira honed his expertise in aerospace communications.
In 1971, HM Electronics Incorporated [HME] was founded with a focus on wireless microphones and intercoms. In 1974, HME debuted a professional VHF wireless microphone for concerts and live events. Crystal controlled and operating on a single fixed frequency, the HME wireless mic quickly became established in Las Vegas showrooms. In this era, a Las Vegas show would use only one or two wireless mics because of the expense and operational complexities.
HME became an OEM customer of Shure Brothers Incorporated, purchasing our SM58 mic element, and other elements, for their wireless handheld transmitters. Why? Though wireless mics were enticing, performers and sound engineers insisted upon the SM58 element for its audio qualities.
In the late 1970s, HME expanded its product line by Introducing a wireless intercom system for the professional audio market. It became a standard for news broadcasts, theaters, and live concert events.
1983 was a pivotal year for HME when it introduced the first wireless drive-thru headset system for fast food restaurants, like McDonalds. This enormous worldwide market soon became the prime focus of HME. The professional wireless microphone market, far smaller in potential, was abandoned.
John Phelan, a retired Shure associate, managed Filmways Audio Services, Los Angeles, in the late 1970s. Here are his recollections of HME wireless products.
Filmways Audio Services used HME wireless almost exclusively. We established RF Rents as a separate company and ran it from the Filmways building in North Hollywood. A mobile office trailer housed RF Rents and the test equipment for maintaining the wireless gear.
HME had one of the first stable professional wireless mic systems. Other wireless mics often drifted away from the set operating frequency and had to be re-tuned. Most handhelds were not rugged. Dropping a transmitter meant time in the repair department.
HME had a more stable unit that was less troublesome, yet there still was a fair amount of service required for every HME rental unit that went out the door. Filmways owned RF spectrum analyzers and other test gear to maintain the inventory of HME wireless mics. We offered handhelds and bodypacks, around 120 systems in total.
Filmways also fabricated an RF intercom from HME, RTS, Beyer, and Shure parts so that stage managers could be wireless as well. It was a rack full of gear feeding a 5-watt transmitter. Undoubtedly illegal but no one was checking back then.
HME started in Harry’s garage. He hired off-duty Navy personnel to build the systems by hand. I recall photos of folks in their Navy garb, sitting at tables with soldering irons, placing components on circuit boards.
Shure looked at HME as a possible purchase back in the 1980s. Two Shure executives traveled to San Diego to look over the HME operation. However, Harry wanted a fortune for his company and Shure was looking for a bargain, so nothing came of it.
Related information: HME website
Arcana – mysterious or specialized knowledge
Shure recently acquired an HME model WM250 handheld transmitter for our archive. The WM250 operated from a single 9Vdc battery. The unit featured a slide switch for power, a red dot of paint to indicate “power on,” a removable 5” antenna, and a small side opening for fine-tuning the operating frequency. The Shure archival example (below) was manufactured in 1978, operates at 173.4 MHz, and still works!
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Here is a list of additional Shure OEM customers from 1965 to 1985:
- 3M
- A.B. Dick
- Adams Labs
- AEL-Emtech
- Aertron
- Airmatic
- AMI Rowe International
- Ampex
- Artisan Electric
- Astronautics Skyphone
- Automatic Electric
- Baldwin
- Bell & Howell
- Bell Labs
- Beltone
- Bendix
- Braum
- Burdick
- Canadian Marconi
- Carson
- CMC
- CML-MACARR
- Collins Radio
- Columbia Science
- Columbian Hydrosonics
- Comco
- Comex
- Communications Associates
- Communications Company
- Control Data
- Dahlberg
- Daktronics
- Datel of Wyoming
- Department of Defense – U.S. Army
- Dison
- Dual
- Dukane
- Dunbar Nunn
- E.F. Johnson
- Eastman Kodak
- Electro Vox
- Electrohome Limited
- Executone
- Export NSM
- Federal Sign & Signal
- FSSC
- Gates
- General Electric – GE
- General Radio
- Gibson
- Graphic Sciences
- Grayson Stadler
- GTE Automatic Electric
- GTE Sylvania
- Hallicrafters
- Hammerbund
- Hammond
- Harris Corporation
- Heath
- Hewlett Packard
- Honeywell
- IBM
- IEC Electronics
- International Systems
- IPM Development Engineering Group
- IRD Mechanical Systems
- ISEC
- ITT Information Systems
- ITT Raleigh
- ITT Telecommunications
- Jetronix
- Koll Morgan
- Lake Systems
- Litcom
- Lowery Organ
- M.M. DM
- Magnavox
- Maico Hearing Instruments
- Marshal Electronics
- Martin Engineering
- Midwest Audio Corporation
- Mine Safety Appliance
- Mitsubishi
- MMM
- Mosler
- Motorola
- Narco Avionics
- North Electric Company
- Nuclear Chicago
- Pace
- Path Communications
- Penelcor
- Perma-Power
- Philco
- Philips
- Pye
- Pyrotronics
- R.F. Communications
- Radio Corporation of America – RCA
- Raytheon
- Reeves
- Regency
- Repco
- Roanweil
- Rockola Manufacturing
- S.H. Couch
- Scientific Radio Systems
- Secode
- Simplex
- Simpson Electric
- Si-tron
- Sonar Radio
- Standard Communicatons
- Stelma
- Stephenson
- Stoner
- SunAir
- Systcoms International
- Tektron Micro Electronics
- Telefunken
- Teletec
- Telex
- Texas Instruments
- Transcom Incorporated
- Tripplett Electrical
- Union Switch
- Vega
- Viking-Telex
- V-M Corporation
- Wabco
- Wasco
- Webster Electric
- Western Electric – Bell
- Wightman Electronics
- Wulfsberg Electronics
- Zenith Radio
