WDOD Chattanooga 1925-2011

[WA3VJB]

http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_202677.asp

 WDOD, at one time "The Dynamo of Dixie" had operated at 5 kW days since 1935 and with a directional antenna after moving to 1310 in the Great Frequency Shift of 1941.

--Broadcaster's Desktop Resource


Nice trio of freestanders too.

[K5UJ]

Looks like they might be omnidirectional with the middle tower in the daytime.

[Mike/W8BAC]

In a quote from the Chattanoogan article

Barbara Kennedy of Baylor said, "Baylor has no immediate plans for the WDOD property at this time,

After looking at the transmitter and tower site on Google Earth I can see why the property was of interest to the university. The waterfront site adjacent to the South end of the cramped campus will be put to good use.

Bernie Barker, station general manager, said, "The equipment at the station was very old and the parts were hard to get. The components had to be made in some cases."

I wonder what's left in the original transmitter building on the North East corner of the property. I hope whatever is left will find a home and not be plowed under at a landfill. Thanks for the post Paul.

[W4AAB]

I am checking with folks over that way to see what the possibility of acquiring that "OLD" equipment is.

[WA3VJB]

I was hoping you or perhaps Don, or maybe Dave, W4QCU, might step up and do just that.  Could be abandoned treasure !!  Good luck, take some photos before the site is razed. 

Their studio and business office was moved downtown, said the newspaper. I bet the lease will be up soon at that location, if not already, and it could be a race to the dumpster for any audio gear at that end.

I am checking with folks over that way to see what the possibility of acquiring that "OLD" equipment is.

[k4kyv]

My daughter lives in Chattanooga, but it's a 3-hour drive from here.  I might make the trip if I thought there were some goodies to be had. Sometimes, in a station like that, it is the old stuff that hasn't been used for decades but never thrown away that can be the most interesting. I once picked up a 1939 vintage Gates peak limiter that way. Who knows, there could be some tubes and parts left from some of the pre-WWII transmitter(s).

Joe, you are a lot closer than I am.  Let me know if you find out anything; I'll try calling them myself, too. 

Mack Rogers, N4VGB might also be interested, but he tends to pack stuff away, saving it from the dump, but taking it out of circulation without ever using it.

[WA3VJB]

Mack Rogers, N4VGB might also be interested, but he tends to pack stuff away, saving it from the dump, but taking it out of circulation without ever using it.

THAT sure sounds familiar.

[W2PFY]

I could never figure Mack out. He has a tech plus license and should upgrade. He has purchased stuff from me and most of what he collects is for AM. He seems very knowledgeable so I can't figure why he won't upgrade. He is on that other BB and is the second highest poster aside for the owner.

[W4AAB]

I am waiting to hear from the ham who has the 21E. He told another party that there is nothing else left at the transmitter site of WDOD.

[K2PG]

It is always tragic when a community loses a media voice, especially one that has existed for so long. It's a shame that the school couldn't have used the station. If they have a Collins 21E and any of you live within the region, GRAB IT! It is easy to move that transmitter from 1310 kHz to one of the AM frequencies on 160. The 21E looks impressive and sounds great on the air. I have one that I picked up from WMTR in Morristown, NJ when they replaced it with a new Harris solid-state transmitter. It "powers down" very well for amateur service.

If you can get the components from the phasor and the tuning houses at the base of the towers (unless they have been scobbed), do so. You will find "pillar" mica capacitors, vacuum capacitors, and both fixed and roller inductors, all of which are valuable for amateur use. The static drain chokes are also good to have, especially if you are using a series-fed vertical antenna.