Smoke Signal Broadcasting

Smoke Signal Broadcasting, Inc. was an American computer company founded in 1976 by Frederic Jerome "Ric" Hammond in Hollywood, California. Although Hammond initially established the business as a consulting operation for radio and other broadcasting organizations, it rapidly moved into the emerging personal and business-computing market. The company became one of the earliest independent suppliers of expansion hardware for the Southwest Technical Products Corporation 6800, a Motorola 6800-based computer built around the SS-50 bus. Smoke Signal's first major product was the M-16-A, a 16 KB static-random-access memory board introduced in 1976. It was described in contemporary coverage as the first expansion board made independently of SWTPC for the SWTPC 6800. Strong demand for the board pushed the company away from broadcasting consultancy and toward computer hardware. In 1978, Smoke Signal introduced the BFD-68 floppy-disk system, which could house as many as three 5.25-inch drives and included a controller and OS-68 disk operating system. OS-68 provided a random-access file system and became a foundation of the company's later systems. The success of the BFD-68 led to Smoke Signal's own computer line, the Chieftain. The original Chieftain used the Motorola 6800, included SS-50 compatibility, and was supplied as an assembled machine rather than a kit. Its design emphasized reliability, with features such as cooling and gold-plated edge connectors, and it was marketed both to technically oriented hobbyists and to professional users. Commercial customers included Hughes Aircraft and Western Electric, which used Chieftain systems in industrial process-control applications. Smoke Signal also produced the SCB-68 single-board computer, which retained the 6800 architecture while offering expansion options for memory, communications, timing, and mathematical processing. During the early 1980s, the company shifted toward business systems. The Chieftain Business System replaced the 6800 with Motorola's 6809, increased memory capacity, added support for larger disk configurations and a Winchester hard disk, and was sold with business-oriented peripherals. The Chieftain 9822 followed in 1982. It supported multiple storage configurations and could run either Smoke Signal DOS, an updated OS-68 implementation, or Microware's OS-9 multitasking and multi-user operating system. Benchmarking organizations rated the 9822 strongly in scientific computing and data processing, but reviewers criticized the company's dependence on dealers to supply or commission much of the application software customers needed. Smoke Signal expanded internationally through dealers, equipment fabricators, rebadging arrangements, and regional partnerships. The Chieftain Business System was sold in New Zealand under the Econz name, and a joint venture with Medco Electronics marketed Smoke Signal systems in Pakistan under the Pakistan Computers name. The company later pursued Unix-oriented systems, including the VAR/68 using OS-9 and the VAR/68K, a Motorola 68000-based computer marketed as Unix-compatible and supplied with the Regulus operating system. The business weakened in the mid-1980s as the computer industry changed and Smoke Signal struggled with scale, software distribution, and competition. Its workforce and asset base contracted, and by 1987 Hammond had moved the company to Thousand Oaks and redirected his attention toward a real-estate venture. Smoke Signal was reduced largely to a support operation for existing customers. Hammond filed the company's final corporate statement in 1991, ending its independent business existence. The company remains historically notable as an early third-party SWTPC expansion supplier and as an early manufacturer of multi-user computer systems.

Ric Hammond founded Smoke Signal Broadcasting in 1976 in Hollywood while working as a programming director at CBS Radio's KNX-FM in Los Angeles. His original plan was to provide consulting services to broadcasting organizations, reflecting his longstanding interest in radio. Hammond had also developed an interest in computers and had studied computer construction at the board level. When he noticed that users of the popular SWTPC 6800 lacked sufficient memory and peripheral options for its SS-50 bus, he designed the M-16-A, a 16 KB static-RAM expansion board. The M-16-A's success quickly changed the company's direction. By 1977, Smoke Signal was concentrating on SWTPC-compatible expansions. In 1978, it released the BFD-68 floppy-disk system, supporting up to three 5.25-inch drives in one enclosure. The system included a controller and OS-68, a disk operating system that gave the SWTPC 6800 random-access file handling. The product's reception encouraged Smoke Signal to build complete computers. After relocating to Westlake Village, California, the company released the original Chieftain, a Motorola 6800 system with SS-50 compatibility, expandable memory, multiple serial connections, floppy-disk options, and an 80-by-25 character display. Unlike many contemporaries that sold kits, Smoke Signal supplied the Chieftain assembled. Hammond believed this could appeal both to hobbyists seeking convenience and to professional buyers who did not want to build their own systems. The machine emphasized durability through features such as a cooling fan and gold-plated edge connectors. Its customers included industrial and aerospace-related organizations, including Hughes Aircraft and Western Electric. In 1979, the company added the SCB-68 single-board computer, retaining the 6800 architecture while permitting additional memory, EPROM, communications, timing, and mathematical hardware. At the beginning of the 1980s, Smoke Signal moved more deliberately into business computing. The Chieftain Business System used Motorola's 6809 processor, supported substantially more memory, and added larger disk configurations, a Winchester hard drive, a printer, and a terminal. In 1982, the Chieftain 9822 refined this platform. It offered alternative floppy and Winchester configurations and could run Smoke Signal DOS or OS-9, Microware's multitasking and multi-user operating system. The system performed well in contemporary benchmark comparisons, particularly in scientific computing and data processing. However, software availability was a persistent weakness. Smoke Signal increasingly relied on its dealer network to supply applications, and local dealers often lacked generalized software or had to commission programs for individual customers. Software had initially been a competitive strength. The company sold OS-68 applications under its own branding, licensed products from outside developers, and offered tools including BASIC, an editor, an assembler, a word processor, and a disassembler. Roger Embree led the software division and developed OS-68. By 1982, Smoke Signal had transferred much of the software burden to approximately 120 dealers through an exchange coordinated by Deborah Conrad and supported by an internal MicroCobol database. The arrangement was intended to help dealers share software, but it did not solve the company's broader distribution and development problems. Smoke Signal developed an international channel during the early 1980s. Dealers and fabricators operated across Australia, Asia, Europe, South Africa, and the United States. A New Zealand company rebadged the Chieftain Business System as the Econz, and Smoke Signal formed a partnership with Medco Electronics to market systems in Pakistan under the Pakistan Computers name. The company also expanded its operating-system ambitions. The VAR/68 used OS-9, while the 1984 VAR/68K used Motorola's 68000 family and Regulus, an operating system described as Unix-compatible. The company's position deteriorated in the middle of the decade. Its employment, assets, and commercial momentum declined despite the technical strengths of the later systems. In 1987, Smoke Signal moved to Thousand Oaks, California. Hammond incorporated a separate real-estate company and relegated Smoke Signal to a support role for installed customers. The real-estate venture was subsequently damaged by the collapse of the Ventura County housing market. Smoke Signal's last corporate statement was filed in 1991. Hammond later returned to radio-related work as a disc jockey and traffic reporter before his death in 2012.

• 1991

  Final corporate statement filed

  [1]Smoke Signal Broadcastingen.wikipedia.org

  The filing marked the effective end of Smoke Signal Broadcasting's business operations.

• 1987

  Company moves to Thousand Oaks and contracts

  [1]Smoke Signal Broadcastingen.wikipedia.org

  Smoke Signal relocated and became primarily a support operation for existing customers.

• 1984

  VAR/68K enters Unix-compatible computing

  [1]Smoke Signal Broadcastingen.wikipedia.org

  Smoke Signal introduced a Motorola 68000-based computer using the Regulus operating system.

• 1982

  Chieftain 9822 introduced

  [1]Smoke Signal Broadcastingen.wikipedia.org

  The Chieftain 9822 added revised storage options and support for Smoke Signal DOS or OS-9.

• 1981

  International distribution expands

  [1]Smoke Signal Broadcastingen.wikipedia.org

  Smoke Signal products gained international dealer and fabrication coverage, including the Econz rebadging arrangement in New Zealand.

• 1979

  SCB-68 single-board computer released

  [1]Smoke Signal Broadcastingen.wikipedia.org

  The SCB-68 extended the company's 6800-based product family with configurable memory and peripheral options.

• 1978

  BFD-68 and the original Chieftain arrive

  [1]Smoke Signal Broadcastingen.wikipedia.org

  Smoke Signal launched its floppy-disk platform, OS-68, and its first complete Chieftain computer.

• 1977

  Business shifts to SWTPC expansions

  [1]Smoke Signal Broadcastingen.wikipedia.org

  Demand for the M-16-A led the company to focus on computer expansion hardware rather than broadcasting consultancy.

• 1976

  Company founded and M-16-A released

  [1]Smoke Signal Broadcastingen.wikipedia.org

  Ric Hammond founded Smoke Signal Broadcasting in Hollywood and introduced the M-16-A, an early independent memory expansion for the SWTPC 6800.

An engineering-oriented early-computing manufacturer that combined reliable assembled hardware with expandable SS-50-compatible systems, disk operating software, and multi-user capabilities.

• Memory expansion board · 1976

  M-16-A

  A 16 KB static-RAM board for the SWTPC 6800. Introduced in 1976, it addressed the limited memory and peripheral ecosystem around the SS-50 bus and became the product that moved Smoke Signal from broadcasting consultancy into computer manufacturing.

• Floppy-disk system · 1978

  BFD-68

  A floppy-disk expansion system for the SWTPC 6800, with a controller board and an enclosure capable of housing up to three 5.25-inch drives. It was supplied with OS-68, Smoke Signal's disk operating system, and became the direct technical predecessor of the Chieftain line.

• Microcomputer · 1978

  Chieftain

  An assembled Motorola 6800 computer designed for scientific engineering, business, and technically sophisticated users. It offered SS-50 compatibility, expandable memory, serial ports, floppy-disk configurations, and OS-68. Its cooling fan and gold-plated edge connectors emphasized reliability, while commercial users included Hughes Aircraft and Western Electric.

• Single-board computer · 1979

  SCB-68

  A Motorola 6800 single-board computer with 1 KB of scratch-pad RAM and 2 KB of standard EPROM. Expansion options included additional EPROM capacity, a mathematical coprocessor, a real-time clock, and serial interfaces.

• Business computer system · 1980

  Chieftain Business System

  A business-oriented revision of the Chieftain built around Motorola's 6809 processor. It supported up to 1 MB of memory, larger disk configurations, a Winchester hard drive, a daisy-wheel printer, and a terminal, while retaining compatibility with the company's SS-50-derived architecture.

• Business and multi-user computer · 1982

  Chieftain 9822

  A two-unit 6809-based system with flexible floppy and Winchester storage options. It could run Smoke Signal DOS or Microware OS-9, giving customers a choice between the company's own disk environment and a multitasking, multi-user operating system.

• Multi-user computer system · 1983

  VAR/68

  A Motorola 6809 system using Microware's OS-9 operating system. It represented Smoke Signal's effort to provide more capable multi-user systems after the company began moving beyond its original hobbyist and engineering focus.

• Unix-compatible computer · 1984

  VAR/68K

  A Motorola 68000-family computer introduced in 1984 and supplied with Regulus, an operating system developed by Alcyon Corporation and marketed as Unix-compatible. The system included four parallel ports and sixteen serial ports, with later versions using the Motorola 68008.

• Operating system · 1978

  OS-68 and Smoke Signal DOS

  Smoke Signal's disk operating-system family began with OS-68 for the Motorola 6800 and was later adapted for the 6809 and shortened to Smoke Signal DOS. The software provided file management and supported the company's hardware systems; later products could alternatively run OS-9.

• 1987

  Reduce the company to a support operationStrategy

  Background

  Smoke Signal's performance had weakened during the mid-1980s, and its workforce and assets had contracted.

  Action taken

  After moving headquarters to Thousand Oaks, Hammond redirected attention to a separate real-estate business and retained Smoke Signal mainly to support installed systems.

  Aftermath

  The company's operating activity continued only in a limited form until its final corporate statement in 1991.

  Source

• 1982

  Offer OS-9 alongside Smoke Signal DOSProduct launch

  Background

  The Chieftain 9822 needed a more capable operating environment for business and multi-user applications while preserving the company's own software platform.

  Action taken

  Smoke Signal made the system available with either its updated DOS or Microware's multitasking and multi-user OS-9.

  Aftermath

  The choice strengthened the technical positioning of the 9822, although customers and reviewers continued to raise concerns about application-software availability.

  Source

• 1982

  Transfer software distribution responsibility to dealersStrategy

  Background

  Smoke Signal's software division had become difficult to sustain, and the company maintained a large dealer network that could theoretically coordinate local application development and sales.

  Action taken

  The company organized a dealer software exchange, supported by a newsletter and an internal MicroCobol database, and pushed dealers to provide more of the software ecosystem.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement was intended to reduce development pressure but often left customers with limited generalized software or forced dealers to commission applications themselves.

  Source

• 1980

  Move from scientific engineering toward business systemsStrategy

  Background

  Smoke Signal sought a broader commercial market while retaining design choices intended to appeal to technically experienced hobbyists and engineers.

  Action taken

  The company developed the Chieftain Business System around the Motorola 6809, larger memory, expanded disk capacity, and business peripherals.

  Aftermath

  The strategy produced the Chieftain 9822 and later multi-user systems, but software distribution through dealers remained a significant weakness.

  Source

• 1977

  Abandon broadcasting consultancy as the primary businessStrategy

  Background

  Demand for the M-16-A expansion board exceeded the company's expectations and revealed a stronger opportunity in SWTPC-compatible computer hardware.

  Action taken

  Smoke Signal concentrated its resources on expansion boards, storage systems, operating software, and eventually complete computers.

  Aftermath

  The shift established the company as an early independent SWTPC ecosystem supplier and led directly to the Chieftain line.

  Source

1. 1Smoke Signal Broadcastingen.wikipedia.org