NEWS RELEASES
Winegard Celebrates Participation In Apollo Moon Landing
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved and first published through Winegard's website.
BURLINGTON, Iowa – Fifty years ago, Winegard, a pioneer in antenna technology headquartered in Burlington, Iowa, helped the Apollo 11 astronauts land on the moon and broadcast their first steps back to Earth. The antennas designed by founder John Winegard even let Americans watch the lunar landing on their TVs at home. “John invented the multichannel TV antenna in his garage in Burlington, Iowa, because he wanted to watch programming being rebroadcast in Chicago,” Grant Whipple, current president and COO of Winegard, said in a press release. “By 1953 he started his company and this small invention led to other radio and TV devices and systems. Soon NASA was contacting Winegard about designing equipment for this mission.” In 1969, John Winegard was recognized by NASA for “his notable contributions to the success of the Apollo 11 mission.”
Before Winegard, an inductee of the Consumer Electronics Association Hall of Fame, invented an antenna that could tune into multiple channels, TV watchers could only tune into one channel per antenna. The company he started, still based in Iowa, now holds more than 90 U.S. patents and has designed more than 1,000 TV, satellite and wireless antennas, moving from high-powered television antennas to high-performance wireless and satellite broadband antennas for internet and IoT applications. “So many people are surprised Winegard is in Iowa and that so many of our products are designed and manufactured in the USA,” said Whipple. “Even our customer support center is located in Burlington. Our Midwest roots are something we are very proud of.”
For additional information on the company’s history and products, visit the Winegard website.