The Original W9BSP/W9UA Transmitter Returns To The Air

[Steve - K4HX]

The Original W9BSP/W9UA Transmitter Returns To The Air

Saturday, December 8, beginning 7PM!

The transmitter had been used on 160 Meters but after WW-2 it was changed to 75 Meters AM plus MCW ( Modulated CW-now not allowed) which enabled listening students to copy CW with a built-in tone. A few members of MEMO [Marshall Ensor Memorial Organization] volunteered the effort to correct the ravages of years of being near windows passing direct sunlight.

The work began in 2009 inside the farm museum kitchen during off season months. Final tests were completed in recent days. Not only was most of the wiring in need of replacement, numerous other components were as well. ALSO, many unseen mods have made the rig safe to operate regarding both high voltage and RF.

This grand event will be Saturday, December 8, beginning 7PM [Central zone]. Frequency, near 3885 - 3886 khz. Power is 315 to 325 Watts AM un-modulated, and legal limit in use. We'd love to also hear AM from you fellas on our SX-16. The restore team members are Harry Krout W0YQG, son Joe Krout W0PWJ, Larry Rosine W0OG, and Larry Woodworth, W0HXS.

Ensor Museum web site

http://w9bsp-w9ua.org

[W3GMS]

Fantastic Steve.  Talk about a cool looking OT transmitter.  I will definitely try to work the op's on December 8th.
 
Very interesting website and I will go back and review it in greater detail tomorrow. 

Thanks for posting a piece of radio history.

Joe, W3GMS   

[WA3VJB]

That's a serious piece of furniture.

Proud addition to any living room.




I wonder if that is an armoire that serves as a transmitter cabinet. Homes of that era had these free-standing closets (and people had fewer sets of clothing to hang up) instead of door closets that became popular later.



Very cool idea. Could help get a homebrew rig inside the house.

[W3RSW]

Love that farmhouse, the serious tower out back, marble topped dressers and "Bring back wallpaper!"

Can just see the great summertime confabs that took place on the porches.


Thanks for the heads-up.

[Steve - K4HX]

Ensor was quite a craftsman and won prizes for making furniture and cabinets.

[Opcom]

I read that armoires were used because in some locations the property tax of whatever sort involved counting the closets as rooms.

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

That's a sweet looking rig. Imagine standing in front of that while operating. Meters swinging, lights dimming....good shtuff!

W4BOH has a neat old HB transmitter with the same type of panels, that reddish brown Luaun or whatever it was called. His has the nice burgundy Atwater Kent knobs and dials which go well with it.

[KM1H]

I was stationed at NAS Olathe in 60 and part of 61 and drove past that place several times but never stopped. There were 2 tall windmill towers there if I remember.

OTOH I do remember a couple of girls from Olathe HS that enjoyed a handsome sailor from the NYC area  

Carl

[W4AAB]

The tower that is there is 75 feet. The 100 footer blew down in a storm in the early 1970's.

[N3PDT]

Both towers are still there, although only the  north one, nearest the house, is in use. The mast that extended the south tower to what Mr. Ensor called 100' is bent seriously over at present, but it still stands as is in pretty good shape. I am unaware of any immediate plans to get it back in service.

The north tower supports the feed point for a 160m, ladder fed, inverted Vee at about 70ft, one corner of a 470' loop, and a vhf/uhf ground plane.

The enclosure for the transmitter is not big enough to be an armoire, and I'm pretty sure Mr. Ensor did build it, as mentioned, he was a master craftsman. I've not put a tape measure to it, but it's around 3'w and 5't.

One of the more amazing things to me, is that Mr. Ensor actually raised the towers circa WWII after they were installed. He lifted the north one about 8ft and the south one closer to 10ft and used fairly crooked Osage Orange posts as the "extenders". No one is sure how he actually did it. Raising installed windmill towers can't be easy.

I am local to the area and plan to be out to the museum for the early part of the evening, and them head home to work the station - best of both worlds. Pretty exciting times here.

Doug N3PDT

[W3GMS]

Both towers are still there, although only the  north one, nearest the house, is in use. The mast that extended the south tower to what Mr. Ensor called 100' is bent seriously over at present, but it still stands as is in pretty good shape. I am unaware of any immediate plans to get it back in service.

The north tower supports the feed point for a 160m, ladder fed, inverted Vee at about 70ft, one corner of a 470' loop, and a vhf/uhf ground plane.

The enclosure for the transmitter is not big enough to be an armoire, and I'm pretty sure Mr. Ensor did build it, as mentioned, he was a master craftsman. I've not put a tape measure to it, but it's around 3'w and 5't.

One of the more amazing things to me, is that Mr. Ensor actually raised the towers circa WWII after they were installed. He lifted the north one about 8ft and the south one closer to 10ft and used fairly crooked Osage Orange posts as the "extenders". No one is sure how he actually did it. Raising installed windmill towers can't be easy.

I am local to the area and plan to be out to the museum for the early part of the evening, and them head home to work the station - best of both worlds. Pretty exciting times here.

Doug N3PDT

Hi Doug,

Thanks for the details concerning the station.  Could you pass along the tube line-up of the transmitter?  If by chance you have any inside pictures of the rig that would be great to see as well.

I hope to work you when your fire up the rig. 

73,
Joe, W3GMS

[N3PDT]

Hi Doug,

Thanks for the details concerning the station.  Could you pass along the tube line-up of the transmitter?  If by chance you have any inside pictures of the rig that would be great to see as well.

I hope to work you when your fire up the rig. 

73,
Joe, W3GMS

Hi Joe,

While I am a recent Marshall Ensor Memorial Organization  (MEMO) member, those are details I don't know yet. However, I know who to ask and will try to get that info, probably on Saturday when the team that did the restoration fires it up. I'll see what I can do about photos. The enclosure has glass sides and back, but difficult to get an angle on them, as the shack is very small, and the layout tight. I'll ask Larry Woodworth, curator of the museum,  if any they took during restorations are available.

73,

Doug N3PDT

[W3GMS]

Thanks Doug....I appreciate whatever you can find out. 
73,
Joe, W3GMS

[W4AAB]

Glad that both towers are intact. In 1973 or 1974 in my early years as a ham. I did some relay work on 40m SSB during a tornado outbreak in the Kansas City area (I was in Alabama at the time). I remember someone referring to damage at W0BSP's place ( he had been SK for 3 or 4 years at the time).I was just reading Electric Radio #185 from 2004 and it mentions the horizontal Zepp at 75 to 100 feet. I think it would be a good idea to undo nature and put a straightened mast on the second tower.This next spring, I am planning to make the 650 mile trip out there to check it out.
                                                    Joe W4AAB (ex-WA4AUX)

[N3PDT]

Was able to get some good photos from Don, W0DEW, another MEMO member. These were taken within the last couple months, and near the completion of the restoration. I can not tell you anything about them. I am a fairly new, and technically challenged ham. I've had my General ticket since Dec. 2009 and am a brass pounder with a Ten Tec Jupiter and a Ten Tec Triton IV. I have built some QRP kits, but the kind of radio theory that most of you here had to know before being let loose on the airwaves, was not a requirement by the time I was licensed. I will enjoy learning from your discussions of the photos.

The last gallery entry is supposed to be a video, but I'm having problems getting it to play. It is very short and is simply a shot of a red neon tube in use to check modulation. If you look closely out the window next to the tube, you'll see one of the osage orange supports to the north tower.

Link to the gallery: http://www.mygoodpix.com/Other/1937-Ensor-Transmitter/26944131_gHmw5p

If you share the photos please give credit to Don, W0DEW and the Marshall Ensor Memorial Organization. 

The restore team members are Harry Krout W0YQG, son Joe Krout W0PWJ, Larry Rosine W0OG, and Larry Woodworth, W0HXS.

[N3PDT]

Glad that both towers are intact. In 1973 or 1974 in my early years as a ham. I did some relay work on 40m SSB during a tornado outbreak in the Kansas City area (I was in Alabama at the time). I remember someone referring to damage at W0BSP's place ( he had been SK for 3 or 4 years at the time).I was just reading Electric Radio #185 from 2004 and it mentions the horizontal Zepp at 75 to 100 feet. I think it would be a good idea to undo nature and put a straightened mast on the second tower.This next spring, I am planning to make the 650 mile trip out there to check it out.
                                                    Joe W4AAB (ex-WA4AUX)

Check the website for hours of operation. It's worth getting there on a Saturday or Sunday in season for the full tour. I've seen a photo of the zepp. It was a cage, to boot!

You're not the only one that would like to see both towers in use again. It gets mentioned a lot. I imagine it's a money issue as  much as anything. But, these things do get done out there, and I really have to commend them for the job they do. Getting the old transmitter back on the air is a crowning achievement. It was rescued from the loft of the barn! They darn near lost the north tower to deterioration at the base, and through some almost heroic efforts, saved it. The place is really a gem, and a lot of good folks work to keep it that way.

Please come and visit!

[WA3VJB]

Doug it's good that you're at least aware of this old technology, and you could be surprised at how much you pick up and come to understand just by hanging around.  When I was first licensed about 40 years ago the circuits were rather intimidating.  Eventually, from talking with the guys on AM, I got the confidence to get into my old transmitter to repair and modify as I wished. It became all the more enjoyable.  Best wishes if that's the path you eventually take as well.

Thanks for the photo link.  You can tell that some of our radio ancestors really had the knack.

[W3GMS]

Thanks Doug for posting the wonderful pictures!  What a great OT transmitter.  I wish I lived closer to pay a visit. 

Pass along to the technical team, if they ever need any parts to keep the old rig on the air just let me know.  I would be glad to donate whatever is required.  I don't have everything but have most of what I see in the photo from a parts perspective. 

If we every get down that way, I will arrange for a visit.

73,
Joe, W3GMS   

[KM1H]

All this makes me wish I had stopped by to view that piece of history and met the owners.

With a big club station to use, (K0NAB, with a 75A3, 32V2, converted BC-610 amp, 6el Telrex 20 and 15M yagis at 90+ ')  at the base it never occured to me at that tender age

Ive viewed Google maps of the Olathe area several times the past few years to sort of get nostalgic but its grown so much there is little that I remember.

Carl

[WA3VJB]

Hearing Joe GMS on there with KØARA for a callup of the station.

Nothing heard out of them the first 15 mins ...

[W3GMS]

Hi Paul,
It appears that they are not on the air yet.  Hopefully they will fire up soon.  I took a break from the 1929 AWA QSO party to try to work them! 
Joe, W3GMS

[W3GMS]

The special event has been postponed.  Transmitter output network is having trouble matching into the open wire line.  A reschedule date will be announced.
Joe, W3GMS

[KB2WIG]

Thats too bad... KØARA was doing quite nicely into C NY.

klc

[K0ARA]

  Too bad they couldn't get the old girl on the air.
If anything, we got a lot of local amateurs to push the AM button on their transceivers


  Hope to work everyone on the KDØHG Memorial Heavy Metal Rally.

                                               Mike
                                              KØARA

[W3GMS]

 Too bad they couldn't get the old girl on the air.
If anything, we got a lot of local amateurs to push the AM button on their transceivers


  Hope to work everyone on the KDØHG Memorial Heavy Metal Rally.

                                               Mike
                                              KØARA

Great chatting with you Mike.  Your signal on the East Coast was very good.  

If we had a chance to chat, I would have told you about my Millen 812H rig.  It was nice to hear yours on the air.  

73,
Joe, W3GMS