RCA BTA-!S

[VE7MM]

 I have a BTA-!S last used on AM BC Band for conversion to160M.
Anyone else 'done one' ?
73
Martin

[The Slab Bacon]

I had a BTA1-S a few years ago, and thought it to be a very poorly designed transmitter, so it got recycled. (it did have nice iron including a 300lb reactor)

It has no tuned circuits anywhere from the crapstal osc all the way to the grids of the finals. Because of this the tuning of the low-pass output filter is very important! It should go on 160 without any real mods other than moving the coil taps around and changing the tank caps.

I wanted to make it bandswitching 160, 75, and maybe 40, but adding the necessary tuned circuits in the lower stages would have required too much "reinventing of the wheel" so I deciced to recycle it to produce a later home brew 1kw rig.
                                   
                                                                                 The Slab Bacon

[The Slab Bacon]

I had a BTA1-S a few years ago, and thought it to be a very poorly designed transmitter, so it got recycled. (it did have nice iron including a 300lb reactor)                                                                             

And that broke my heart! RCA did not produce many BTA-1S transmitters, as the company left the broadcast equipment marketplace shortly after they introduced that model. I would LOVE to have one of those in my living room in PA, perking away on 1885!

I agree with you on the design...but, hey, people also collect Edsels! A guy a couple of miles from my NJ site has a black '59 Edsel for sale. It's a gorgeous car...but stories abound about the Edsel's poor design.

Now...if only I could get a BTA-1S for my living room and an Edsel Pacer or Corsair for my car port!

I guess people's choices in transmitter esthetics are just like their choices in women.

Phil,
      how could you find the looks of a BTA1-S so attractive that you would want one in your living room? they are so plain and generic looking. Basically just a plain box. Not even a peek a boo window! I could understand a nice 300G or 20V, but a BTA1-s is absolutely nothing to look at. Fugly at best.

Now Edsals were rather neat looking!

                                                               The Slab Bacon

[w3jn]

A guy a couple of miles from my NJ site has a black '59 Edsel for sale. It's a gorgeous car...but stories abound about the Edsel's poor design.

Now...if only I could get a BTA-1S for my living room and an Edsel Pacer or Corsair for my car port!

Go for it.  The '59 Edsel is almost identical to a '59 Ford.  It was the '58 Edsel that had all kinds of problems, mostly associated with the pushbutton automatic tranny.  A '59 or '60 Edsel with a 3 on the tree should be about bulletproof.

[The Slab Bacon]

here is an automotive trivia question for y'all:

Who remembers what they used to refer to the grill's shape as??

[kc2ifr]

Who remembers what they used to refer to the grill's shape as?? Grin

There were a couple of different answers to that question.......both not printable here!!!

[KB2WIG]

I think it was the complement to phalic.......  klc

[The Slab Bacon]

I think it was the complement to phalic.......  klc

 


good one!! you got it!  It may be ok if stated in "medical terminology"

OK. moderators, where do we stand on this one??

[Ed-VA3ES]

Basically, the BTA1S is a the last version version of a BTA1R3. It's virtually  identical, schematic-wise, and uses virtually the same parts.  The main advantage is that the box is basically a 19" rack with side panels. It's 6'6" high, so it will fit in almost any room. 

I have one waiting in my garage for it's eventual trip to the basement shack.

[VE7 Kilohertz]

Hi Martin,

Nice to see you on the board here. Long time no see. How are things on the wet coast? Still have your beautiful boat? I moved inland 3 years ago and now have 30 acres and am looking forward to planting my antenna farm soon.

Interested in hearing more about your RCA TX. I had a BTA 1R a few years back and it was really well built. Couldn't find a way to get it across the country though so left it on the east coast. The 1S is compact but I don;t know anything else about it. 4-400 x 4-400'.s  Drop me a PM or an email. Curious where you and when you found it. I have been looking for one for a few years but am so happy with my Bauer now. It works 100% and is very reliable.

Say hi to Fred!

Cheers

Paul
VE7KHz ...now in Vernon