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Great post, well worth viewing. Not enough pictures, though.
Thanks for posting the link.
awsherrill
Frequent Participant
About all I can say is that the author took some liberties with the "quotes". I'm pretty sure I never said about half the things she attributed to me. In particular, disc jockeys to the best of my knowledge never spent any time at the transmitter site, and there was never a formal studio there.
That said, it is a useful and entertaining article for the audience it is intended for.
David, I can send you plenty of site pics if you'd like to see more.
That said, it is a useful and entertaining article for the audience it is intended for.
David, I can send you plenty of site pics if you'd like to see more.
Send 'em. [email protected]
Are there any documents still stored at the site? I am interested in pre-70's engineering (CP applications, DA proofs, licenses) and I am still looking for any license renewal applications that are pre-1980. Particularly, looking for ones that have the extensive 60's and 70's era ascertainment as well as composite logs and the like. I can provide shipping both ways and make nice scans.
awsherrill
Frequent Participant
There is a lot of documentation at the site dating back decades, including proofs and some applications. Not sure about renewal apps.
I'll have a look next week.
There are written transmitter maintenance notes going back to the 40s that are quite interesting to read through.
I'll have a look next week.
There are written transmitter maintenance notes going back to the 40s that are quite interesting to read through.
I have the same situation at a 50KW site I take care of. Was looking for install noted on the last transmitter installed in 97, an ND50. Didn't find any notes on the ND50 but found 40 years of notes on the old Western Electric 407A. Old license apps got those. Even an engineering report from Jim Hatfield senior who was the engineer at the time, pitching to add a third tower at the site. I have my radio collection at the transmitter site too, up to 70 now. I also have my console collection there, includes a Gates yard and President Console, a 5 channel Sparta and more.
Just installed an NX50 at the site as the main. It went into service a week ago. To do that I had to remove an old 317C1 that I saw installed when I was a teenager. Legacy sites are rare and special. My dad started to do weekend work there in 1974. His signature is on several old logs I referred to when running the other 317C2 which is now the deep backup. I too refer to this legacy site as my museum. There is more untouched paper work I need to go through. One moment your working on an NX50, the next your picking up engineering notes from the 40's and 50's. I too wish they would have shown the transmitters at the site.
Just installed an NX50 at the site as the main. It went into service a week ago. To do that I had to remove an old 317C1 that I saw installed when I was a teenager. Legacy sites are rare and special. My dad started to do weekend work there in 1974. His signature is on several old logs I referred to when running the other 317C2 which is now the deep backup. I too refer to this legacy site as my museum. There is more untouched paper work I need to go through. One moment your working on an NX50, the next your picking up engineering notes from the 40's and 50's. I too wish they would have shown the transmitters at the site.
awsherrill
Frequent Participant
The author was not focused on the equipment at the site, as much as the art-deco style of the building and the various nooks and crannies inside. Which is just as well since the intended audience wouldn't know a 317C2 from R2-D2.
But since you asked...main transmitter is a Harris 3DX50. Backup is indeed a Continental 317C2. There is a class-A FM and a translator at the site as well.
There is also an RCA BTA-10U at the site which was said to be working when removed from service. We have discussed making it a third backup, what with all of our spare time...
IIRC...the Sparta 5-channel was an A-15...we used one in the news/production room at WASR in Wolfeboro, NH....along with an A-20 (8 channel?) control room board...
These boards had Allen-Bradley 10k sealed pots (Davin steppers were an expensive option, if memory serves....) and were prone to noise from dirt -- and RFI (6' from a Harris MW-5A!!!!)
The station also used SpartaMation......all relays, with push-pin programming....time-announce carts, TEAC consumer reel-to-reels, SMC Carousels....
We "milked" this beast for 4 years before it finally drew its last gasp...by then, satellite took over....
What a memory flash. I remember the little 4 channel Sparta mixer that used carbon pots and had limited inputs. It was relatively inexpensive, and I used them in the late 60's as the main console for a bunch of my stations in Ecuador. I’d buy full boxes of the pots, and made a modification where I had a lead with a lug pre-soldered to each contact of all the spare pots, and the mixer was modified with terminal strips going to the electronics. Dirty pot? I could have them play a couple of songs from the production room and have a new pot in there in inside of 10 minutes (I put snap fasteners on the case, too!) Memories of radio stations that charged less than $1 a spot and ran very frugal operations.
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Looks like an Ampex reel-to-reel (mono)??
Always figured WGTO had to have MASSIVE coverage.....50kw @ 540....with a flat, moist ground system....
Never was able to pick it up in NH....and never been to FL.....!!
rfburns
Leading Participant
Had a few of those at small market AM stations for production use. AM RF was always a problem - most of the production was done at night after sign off.
RFB
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The TV station(s) I was with in the 1990's used those little Spartas in the edit bays. My background was radio -and audio- so I would be the only one who cared enough to go clean up the pots after hearing some packages hit the air with distorted or noisy audio in them. Being the only maintenance engineer in a TV station who cared about audio was a thankless task. I re-capped the largest McMartin console I've ever seen over the course of a weekend there. Some of the stuff I found inside that thing would have turned your stomach.
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