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In this issue of PIONEER NEWS, we present a relatively unknown aspect of Pioneer's corporate activities.

This is the Grand Hall of a religious organization. It is called the FUMON-KAN, and it is situated a few short miles from the heart of Tokyo. Covering an area of 10,300 square meters and having a seating capacity of 5.000 persons, it is the largest such structure in the Orient, comparable to any other major hall in the world, including the Crand Congress Hall of the Kremlin in Moscow.

The hall is equipped with a full range of the latest facilities.

These include:

• - Movable seating arrangements, whereby the seating arrangements for audiences can be changed depending upon the number in the audience. This is believed to be the first such system in the world.
• - Motion picture projection equipment, for all types of films ranging from 35 to 70 millimeters.
• - Screen process equipment.
• - Color TV projection equipment.
• - TV relay or filming equipment.

The hall is available for public use for lecture or seminar meetings, musical concerts, or motion pictures.

All the sound effects in the hall are handled by professional model Pioneer loudspeakers and control systems, each and every one a manifestation of Pioneer's outstanding audio technology.

A total of 58 model PAT-38X 3-way 15-inch coaxial loudspeakers are used as ceiling loudspeakers, wall loudspeakers, and gallery loudspeakers; an additional 380 loudspeakers are mounted strategically for reverberation effects, and oval loudspeakers are mounted in the rear of the seats at a rate of one for every four seats (for a total of some 1.200), to provide even and effortless dispersion of sound throughout the hall.

Controlling the operation of this array of loudspeakers is a system embodying the latest innovations and developments in audio technology, including variable reverberation time circuitry or individual level controls, for operation under optimum conditions at all times.
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Interest - and demand for the new tape cartridges, which combine the merits of both conventional 8-track tape cartridges and cassettes, has steadily been mounting in the audio industry and among consumers. Highlighted among the merits is the endless operation capability of the new cartridge, similar to that of 8-track tape cartridges, and compact, handy size, the major feature of cassette tapes.

These problems indicated that a new tape cartridge, solving these inherent shortcomings, would serve as an impetus to the popularization and widespread use of packaged tapes in the future.

The new HIPAC tape cartridge embodies a number of features:

• * Small in size (at 72cc, less than a quarter of the 312cc. of conventional 8-track cartridges);
• * Unlike CC-cassette tapes, the HIPAC uses an "endless" tape for continuous, uninterrupted operation. This also facilitates operation on relatively simple drive mechanisms; provides trouble-free operation; and also lowers production costs;
• * Handling is simplified; there is no need to stop the machine and then turn the tape over; *   v   * Because of the small size of the cartridges, the size of the drive mechanism can also be reduced, a great advantage in designing stereo systems for motor cars;
• * Outstanding tonal quality;
• * 2-speed operation is possible (can be operated at either 4.8cm. per second or 9.5cm. per second on the same tape drive mechanism);
• * Wide range of applications -
  - Home stereo sound systems
  - Motor car stereo systems
  - Recreational stereo equipment (such as portable stereo systems, or juke boxes)
  - Business machines (background music systems, office dictating equipment, automatic announcing equipment, or automatic telephone answering equipment).

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The development, production, and marketing of an entirely new tape system naturally involves a certain amount of risk. The consortium, fully aware of this very fundamental issue, has established a HIPAC Council, in which all ten member companies of the consortium are members, in order to work for the Cultivation and development of a market for the HIPAC System.

Meanwhile, the Pioneer Electronic Corporation is already working on the development of duplicating systems, to facilitate large-scale duplicating of pre-recorded tape cartridges.
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HIPAC tape cartridges will be marketed by Toshiba Musical Industries Co., Lid., Japan Columbia Co., and Apollon Music Industry Co., Ltd., while the other member companies of the consortium, who are the electronic equipment manufacturers, will be marketing tape decks for home and motor car use, and also 8-track tape cartridge adaptors that will enable present owners of 8-track equipment to play back HIPAC cartridges on their existing equipment.

MAJOR SPECIFICATIONS OF THE "HIPAC" CARTRIDGE

Dimensions (width xdepth x thickness): 70mm x 85mm x 12mm
Weight: Approximately 50 grams
Tape width: 3.81mm
Tape winding : Endless winding
Tape speed: 4.6cm. per second or 9.5cm. per second
Number of tracks: 4
Number of programs: 2
Maximum playing time: 60 minutes (at 4.8cm. per second)
30 minutes (at 9.5cm. per second)
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In this issue of PIONEER NEWS we present excerpts from a recent speech given by Mr. Yozo Ishizuka, vice president of Pioneer Electronic Corporation.

The speech was made by Mr. Ishizuka on June 23 1971 at the Shoken Kaikan (Securities Hall) of the Tokyo Stock Exchange before a gathering of representatives from security companies in Japan.

Mr. Ishizuka's speech focussed on the future ahead for Pioneer. The speech began with an intermediate report of Pioneer's 25th business term from October 1970 to September 1971. In regard to the domestic sales of sound equipment except car stereo, Mr. Ishizuka emphasized the steady expansion of the company's market share which had resulted from an foresighted company production plan and the success of its sales policies.
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Growth of stereo component sales was particularly remarkable during the period under review, he said, and the total sales of sound products had placed Pioneer at the top of ihe domestic market.

Sales are expected to reach a total of ¥22.5 billion (= "US$ 63 million" = 63 Milliarden Dollar) by the end of the term. On the export side, the total amount of exports of sound equipment except car stereo during the period is expected to reach some ¥17 billion (US$ 47 million = Milliarden Dollar) which is in excess of the figure projected at the beginning of the term.

Among the many reasons which have made this favorable prediction possible, Mr. Ishizuka said, are signs of a recovery in the U.S. economy and in general markets in the U.S. and Europe, a strengthening of the company's overseas sales network, and the decision by Sears, Roebuck Co., the largest mail order company in the United States to sell Pioneer products under the Pioneer brand name.

Mr. Ishizuka said that the car stereo market had shown a slump because of a slump in the automobile industry in America and a flood of medium and small sized manufacturers' products onto the domestic market with undercutting prices.

However, Pioneer has steadily developed its sales program from the long term point of view without becoming involved in a price-cutting war, and is now also undertaking rationalization of production with construction of the Kawagoe Works.

Four-channel car stereo systems and cassette car stereo systems with automatic reverse mechanism, recently introduced onto the market by Pioneer, have achieved a favorable market reputation and their sales are expected to reach a total of ¥7.2 to ¥7.3 billion (US$ 20 to $20.3 Milliarden) by the end of the current business term.
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The recently established Pioneer Electronic (Taiwan) Corporation has been successful and began fully-fledged operation in June with a monthly production rate of one million units.

Judging from all the factors mentioned here, Mr. Ishizuka said that the company's total sales for the period is expected to reach some ¥ 52.5 billion (US$ 146 Milliarden) by the end of the term which represents a 15.6% increase over the same period for ihe previous year.

In regard to the fuiure projections for Pioneer, Mr. Ishizuka emphasized the need for the company to diversify its activities within the production category of sound equipment and related products.
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The wide diversity in the field of car stereo equipment, audio and related products such as the HIPAC 4-track tape cartridge recently developed by Pioneer in conjunction with other Japanese companies, VTR equipment, and four-channel stereo, is expected to grow in the future.

Pioneer is making steady progress in research and development of products to meet with the expected future demand in these fields.

Mr. Ishizuka also said that Pioneer was continuing to make efforts to strengthen consumer-oriented marketing and Pioneer's own internal technological departments in order to develop new products which would have an unquestioned lead over their competitors.

And he said that Pioneer also was continuing to develop and strengthen its overseas sales network by reinforcing its capital and manpower.
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In this issue, we introduce Mr. Hiroshi Ueno, head of the Car Stereo Division and one of the four division chiefs of Pioneer.

Born in 1911 in Tokyo, Mr. Ueno is a true "Edokko" (child of Tokyo), having the "Edokko's" chief characteristics of warm generosity and sincerity. And despite his gray hair he retains much of his youthful vitality and is known in Pioneer for his vibrant personality.

Mr. Ueno is one of Japan's top-ranking engineers in the field of measurement equipment and he brought with him his precision skill when he joined Pioneer in 1966.

He now devotes himself to the manufacture of cartridge tape equipment such as 8-track car stereo and 8-track home units.

Mr. Ueno insists that the small mechanical parts of the car stereo are what really matter, and his department pays extremely close care and attention to them to ensure consistently high standards of quality. Like all perfectionists, nothing pleases him more than when the achievements of his division are recognized - such as the recent news from the United States that Sears. Roebuck and Co. have eliminated acceptance inspections for Pioneer's products.

Mr. Ueno is constantly stressing the reliability of Pioneer's car stereo products and advises dealers to sell quality first rather than compete in prices. He was a vigorous sportsman in his youth, but today only finds time for a little golf- and his favorite hobby of photography.

It operates in the following manner: first, the Selector is set to an appropriate position according to the diameter of the record to be played- 12-inch, 10-inch or 7-inch. Then simply setting the Lever to the START position activates the tonearm control system, lifting (he tonearm automatically from the tonearm rest, and gently lowering it onto the Starting groove of th* record to commence playback. And when the record comes to an end, the reverse happens: the tonearm rises from the record, and smoothly returns to the tonearm rest.

Additionally, if the lever is reset to the STOP position while a record is being played, the tonearm will lift from the record even if it has not been played out, and return to the armrest.

And setting the lever to the REPEAT position will provide repetitive playing of the same record without the listener having to go near the turntable.

All this means, in other words, that the operator never has to touch the tonearm, and so this eliminates any and all chances of mishandling or damage. Nonetheless, if desired, manual operation is still possible - setting the lever to the MANUAL position will enable manual operation using the arm elevation mechanism.

The automatic tonearm mechanism uses its own servo geared motor, for complete freedom from malfunctions or adverse effects upon the turntable as are so often observed in mechanically-activated automatic turntables, so in effect the PL-A35 is a "two-motor" turntable.

The PL-A35 possesses still other features: an anti-skating device (das wiederum war ein feature, das von DUAL mit dem 1019 in den Markt gedrückt wurde), a free stop hinge-dust cover, a stylus pressure direct-reading type tonearm that allows changing of cartridges, etc., all combining to endow the turntable with every feature desired by the most serious audio enthusiast.
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