The AM Forum

About a couple weeks back, I get an E-mail saying there are two transmitters in a closed-down radio station in Palm Springs.  I didn't think there was a Chinamans' chance against the  West coast collectors, but I replied and, lo & behold, they were available.

So...KF7WWW & I light out in the pickup from Hidden Valley to Palm Springs last Monday, get to see the stuff on Tuesday. There, in the back room of what once was a pretty neat facility, were two TX.

A Standard Electronics 3.5kW FM and a Raytheon RA-250 (all 1,200 lbs!).

A little thought and it was apparent that neither would fit thru the doors, as they had obviously built the place around them.  We got busy disassembling both.  That sort of work is always a foul, filthy job.

Rat poop.  Scorpions.  Live wires without breakers....

Anyways, we got everything out by sundown, and home Wed. @ zero dark :30.

I'll post several installments with more pix.

Another saved from the scrappers!

73DG

Iron harvest and interior panels.

I was able to pull the entire wiring loom without damage or cutting anything.

Quite the octopus.

The original control and meter panels sans markings of any kind.  Tune by memory?

73DG

Modules...two PSU's, the modulator, and the TCXO.

Plenty tar to remove @ check things out.

This old girl will live again on 75m, and ought to sound pretty good with all class-A or AB-1 audio.  Not to mention a paint job back to original tan.

The FM went to pieces, as most every old BC FM TX should.  Parts is parts, and Sam will have it living on in many projects.

73DG

Nice save. Those Raytheons always had nice iron and plenty of it.

The HEAVIEST 250 watt transmitter I ever touched. And the TX audio was out of this world. Probably could load it up to our HAM A.M. legal limit and it would still play happily.
The audio driver for the modulator was superb with a quad of 2A3's pumping the 810's.

You must have a lot of patience to tear that huge cabinet,,,,actually TWO cabinets down and strip out the chassis and wires...WOW!!!
Fred

It will be a great great transmitter when she's back together

This one uses 6B4G's factory.  Na'er seen one with 2A3's, maybe a much earlier version than this 1952 one.

Most of the iron is Thordarson in this one, tho the book shows in-house Raytheon instead.

73DG

Very nice find. I'm sure the Derb must be lookin' down on you.

St. Patrick's Day is coming. There's gotta be a name for your Raytheon in there somewhere.

What was in the FM rig? I always thought one could make a real nice amplifier out of one.

Good deal, Sam needs stuff to play with.

After dealing with her size & poundage, "Magnolia Thunderpussy" came to mind and was voted into office.  Maggie in mixed co.

That FM used a very old design triode, glass-N-fins, three-pin socket with no number on it at all.  I'll find the type eventually.  The tube and exciter are heading to KO6NM's Wisconsin museum...he has one missing those very pieces.

73DG

DERB's Raytheon is lamenting away unused, somewhere in a Ham shack.

It had Raytheon iron and the 2A3's...It was a good effort, that had unbelievable support from many members of AMFONE, to get that TX shipped to his QTH. But Tim's trials were too much for him and the TX was sold. Now I regret selling it.
Fred

A small part of the heart beats on.

The trip was fun for sure. Best part was cutting the 3 phase feed to the fm only to find out later ( after the arc) that we hadnt found the right breaker! Good thing I decided to cut one wire at a time. :o.
Lots of good parts and a real nice blower!. The cabinets are at least 7 foot tall, so plenty of room to build! Nice metering to boot!
From what I can figure I had 2000++ pounds in the truck, so does that qualify as a heavy load? ;D

Here are shots of the FM final.

73DG