Category: AM

Warning! QRPers May Find This Disturbing!

Greg, KC2DWF, sent me this link to a really great web site about the AM broadcast station WLW (aka “The Nation’s Station”). Brace yourselves guys, for we are now moving out of QRP land: The exciter on this baby is 50 kilowatts! The modulator could produce 400 kilowatts of AUDIO! The article is very well written, obviously done by an aficionado of high power RF. There are some great lines in there. Here is a sample:

This brings up the real fun part of 1934 AM broadcasting – NO LIMITERS! WLW, like any big-time station at the time, gave the Full Monty: 100 per cent modulation. Now, radio textbooks always have cute little pictures of sine waves at 100%, but people don’t talk in sine waves. They don’t beat drums, play hillbilly music, or yodel in sine waves. If the studio asked the big rig for some outrageously asymmetrical upward modulation barely crossing zero at all, the DC-sucking beast said FEED ME and obliged – briefly. Voltmeters dipped at the power company, antenna current went haywire, cows felt funny tingles in odd places, and various shotgun-loud bangs and sparks filled the transmitter building.

Have fun, but don’t get any QRO ideas…

Here’s the link to the article:
http://www.ominous-valve.com/wlw.html

More info and pictures here:
http://www.oldradio.com/archives/stations/cinc/wlwpix.htm

Our book: “SolderSmoke — Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics”http://soldersmoke.com/book.htmOur coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmokeOur Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

K2ZA’s DX-100 Arrives at SolderSmoke HQ

Today was big day here at SolderSmoke HQ. John, K2ZA, and his lovely wife Erika drove down from New Jersey bringing with them the Heathkit DX-100 that John’s dad (now a silent key) had built years ago. John heard me mention my long yearning to once again own a DX-100 (I’d had one as a kid); he very generously decided to give me his dad’s.

It’s beautiful. And BIG: Shipping weight: Over 100 pounds. This, gentlemen, is the rig that they were talking about when they first started to refer to certain transmitters as “boatanchors.”

After some time on a Variac, I plan on pairing this magnificent transmitter up with a suitable thermionic-based receiver. Maybe the HQ-100. Then I will put it on 75 meter AM and will attempt to establish myself as one of the plate-modulated, big signal anointed, perhaps even attaining “tall ship” status. We can dream…

Getting the DX-100 was great, but even nicer was meeting John and Erica. What nice people they are!

John and I recorded (in both video and audio) a short segment about the DX-100. I will plug the audio into SolderSmoke #131, and will upload the video to the SolderSmoke YouTube page.

Here’s John with the Drake 2-B, the HT-37, and the INFAMOUS Astatic D-104:

Thanks John!