i3 - November/December 2016 - 53

president at ITT overseeing
telecommunications
projects after selling the
conglomerate one of his
startups, Kebby Microwave.
Along the way, Tuck picked
up commercial airplane and
helicopter licenses, and
owned one of each.
In early 1986, Tuck founded
the Boundary Fund in West
Covina, CA. Tuck would fly
himself to meetings, but
often had trouble locating
small California airports that
lacked towers. Tuck was aware
of the newly declassified GPS
system and of Rea and Hunt's
work at Omicron Labs, and
a portable navigation device
would be perfect for private
pilots like him.
But what Tuck described to
Rea and Hunt on their initial
meeting - a battery-powered

GPS device anyone could
carry - seemed impossible.
Tuck convinced Rea and
Hunt that what they thought
was unachievable was
possible. On April 8, 1986, the
trio signed a development
deal and Tuck created a
new company, Magellan.
Quickly, a small but highly
talented technical team was
assembled. They were known
collectively as "the crew" as
they set out to make Tuck's
vision a reality.
Hunt died unexpectedly
in October 1986, but his
innovative navigational
software and programming
work formed the foundation
of what was to come. Rea
led the early Magellan
engineering effort while
Tuck kept the company
going, an effort that became

complicated after the
January 1986 Challenger
explosion halted all new
GPS satellite launches. Every
other company developing
commercial GPS products
stepped back - except for
Magellan.
Once GPS satellite
launches resumed in late
1988, Rea, Tuck and the
Magellan crew were able to
beat all the competitors to
market. On May 25, 1989, the
company started shipping
its $3,000, 1.5-pound
waterproof and floatable
Magellan GPS NAV 1000,
the first portable GPS
device, which freed future
generations from having to
fumble with folded maps
and creating an entirely new
product category.
For another 11 years, Rea

contributed to Magellan's
engineering projects,
including a two-year stint as its
vice president of engineering.
In addition to his
engineering career and
raising a family, Rea helped
his son start an electronics
business, taught college
engineering classes, learned
to scuba dive, ski and play
tennis. He picked up his
trombone after a 55-year
hiatus, and maintained his
interest in amateur radio,
most recently making twoway contacts via radio signals
bounce off the moon.
Tuck continued to help
start a series of technology
companies that focused on
improving peoples' lives in
some fashion. Tuck is retired
and living near Charlotte,
NC, with his wife, Janet.
n

NOVEMBER 9 | THE RAINBOW ROOM | NEW YORK CITY

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2016 CONSUMER TECHNOLOGY HALL OF FAME HONOREES
Sidney Cooper, Silo
Dr. Jaap Haartsen, Ericsson
David B. Lorsch, DBL Distributing
Chuck Pagano, ESPN
Steve Smith, TWICE Magazine

Joel Spira, Lutron
Nat Tiffen, The Tiffen Company
Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo
Norm Hunt, Ed Tuck, Don Rea, Magellan

Dr. Peter Bingham, Phillips Labs
Dr. Jim Carnes, Sarnoff Labs
Dr. Curt Crawford, AT&T Microelectronics
Dr. Jae Lim, MIT
Jerry Pearlman, Zenith Electronics
Donald Rumsfeld, General Instrument

For more information, visit CTA.tech/halloffame.
C TA . t e c h / i 3

Thank you to our sponsors

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

53
http://CTA.tech/HallofFame http://www.TWICE.com http://www.panasonic.com
i3 - November/December 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of i3 - November/December 2016
