I am delighted to report the return to the airwaves last night of another Collins 300-G. This is the beautiful, art-deco style transmitter with chrome and glass, and an array of 810 triodes from left to right through a huge viewing window that shows them at full wick.
Word came in an excited message on my answering machine from owner
John, N5KEC, in Paragould, Arkansas, that he was ON THE AIR on 160 meters, making full power and getting good reports from those gathered on frequency for his great moment.
The 300-G, many here know, is a 250W model. Colllins design work began before WW2, and about 200 were sold in the postwar years during the expansion of community and regional Standard Broadcast stations.
Today we know of more than two dozen of them. Most are in private hands and a few continue in service at commercial stations.
(here's an old shot of mine)
http://amwindow.org/pix/htm/wa3vjbmm.htmJohn has Ser. No. 133, a transmitter that was purchased new by
WKRO when it first went on the air at Cairo, Illinois. He was good friends with a fellow who was a contract engineer in the region, and used to take his son as a little boy around to the various sites.
The "little boy" is now grown up and, himself, is a BC engineer, Palmer Johnson. The son remembered that John was good friends with his father, who has passed away, and so now John has the transmitter.
The tuning motors were shot, but the oscillator motor still works; the
coils show the usual heat problems, and he's got a complete set of
tubes and the odd spare for each type.
I helped him toward a source of crystals,
Jim W8MAQ helped with technical documentation, and we all should now look out for him and encourage him to get on with us for many enjoyable hours on the radio.
Best to all.
