H. Taylor Howard was an American scientist and radio engineer. Howard was a major player in the development of consumer satellite television in the USA. In 1976 he demonstrated the possibility of receiving of TV signal from a communication satellite direct to the home of an ordinary householder, using a home-made satellite dish

Satellite dish

A satellite dish is a dish-shaped type of parabolic antenna designed to receive microwaves from communications satellites, which transmit data transmissions or broadcasts, such as satellite television.-Principle of operation:...

 (actually a converted military surplus

Military surplus

Military surplus are goods, usually matériel, that are sold or otherwise disposed of when no longer needed by the military. Entrepreneurs often buy these goods and resell them at surplus stores. Military surplus rarely includes weapons or munitions, though they are occasionally found in such stores...

 radar

Radar

Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...

dish) and a self-designed and built analog satellite receiver. He co-founded San Jose, CA-based Chaparral Communications.

Howard was a professor emeritus electrical engineering at Stanford University, and his career there spanned more than 50 years.

Howard died in 2002 when the plane that he was piloting crashed shortly after takeoff.