The Original W9BSP/W9UA Transmitter Returns To The Air

[K0ARA]

 
  Joe...  You had a nice smooth sounding signal here in KC.
    This is an E-mail  I copied about the tube lash up.
   
    ====================================

 Dear Larry's List Subscribers:

Ken Shubert, K0KS, asked about the tube line up of the Ensor transmitter.  Joe
Krout, W0PWJ, one of the restorers, responded to Ken.  I though this might be of
interest to others.

Larry, W0AIB

====================================

Ken,

The tube line up is as follows: 6L6, Oscillator; 801, amplifier; 845, Buffer;
Pair of 822's in push pull Class C Final.  Plate modulated by a 35 watt
Thordarson audio amplifier driving a second pair of 822's.

We have built new power supplies that now reside in the cabinet below the
transmitter, with safety interlocks on the doors. Moving the antenna feed to a
Dow Key T/R relay was one of our safety modifications. We also moved the high
voltages off the front panel open knife switches and plate metering jacks to 12
volt relays activated by the original switches.
    
Hope to work you this evening.

Joe Krout, W0PWJ

[W3GMS]

  Joe...  You had a nice smooth sounding signal here in KC.
    This is an E-mail  I copied about the tube lash up.

 Dear Larry's List Subscribers:
Ken Shubert, K0KS, asked about the tube line up of the Ensor transmitter.  Joe
Krout, W0PWJ, one of the restorers, responded to Ken.  I though this might be of
interest to others.
Larry, W0AIB

====================================

Ken,

The tube line up is as follows: 6L6, Oscillator; 801, amplifier; 845, Buffer;
Pair of 822's in push pull Class C Final.  Plate modulated by a 35 watt
Thordarson audio amplifier driving a second pair of 822's.

We have built new power supplies that now reside in the cabinet below the
transmitter, with safety interlocks on the doors. Moving the antenna feed to a
Dow Key T/R relay was one of our safety modifications. We also moved the high
voltages off the front panel open knife switches and plate metering jacks to 12
volt relays activated by the original switches.
   
Hope to work you this evening.

Joe Krout, W0PWJ

Mike,
Thanks for letting us know what the tube line up is on the old rig.  Hopefully the issues will get resolved and please post when "take two" will occur! 

Thanks for the audio report on my transmitter. 

I trust your a Millen Society Member.  You can look at the list and see the Millen pieces I have acquired over the years. 

Joe, W3GMS 

[N3PDT]

Well, as already noted the best laid plans of mice and men...

They had it tested and loaded fine in to the antenna yesterday, but by showtime tonight, we had heavy mist in the area. Transmitter loaded fine in to the dummy load, but once switched over to the wet, ladder fed antenna, it didn't like the match and they had an arc in a capacitor in the final. After some checking, and some adjustment, they tried again with a similar result. By that time it would arc even while attached to the dummy load. Time to take her apart, clean it up and try again. Disappointing, but not the end of the world.

I took the photo above before everyone showed up for the event. Tough space to shoot in, and didn't have much time to fiddle with the lighting. Wish I would have got the Wouff Hong better positioned. Spot it?

[W3GMS]

Yep, spot it on the receiver. 

That is a shame about the matching issue.  I am sure you guys will get it all figured out for round 2!  I wonder with the feed line length you have on the antenna if it looks voltage or current fed as the transmitter see's it? 

Not that this would have helped your particular problem, the brown "crappy brown stuff" OWL is not the best.  The stuff from w7FG old company is a good compromise if you don't want to build the line yourself. 

Good luck to the technical team and I will be waiting for the next opportunity to work you guys.

73,
Joe, W3GMS   

[K0ARA]

Joe... At this time I'm not a Society Member, but that will change.
This is an updated E-mail  I copied about last night.

====================================

Good evening, or morning to everyone,
 
Saturday evening, 12/8/12 we attempted to return the 1937 W9BSP-W9UA AM
Transmitter to the air after a 40 year hiatus. We had spent this last week
chasing down some final quirks, neutralizing, tuning and generally tweaking.  We
completed testing Friday and felt that everything was in order.
 
This evening about 6 PM CDT, a light misting rain developed at the museum. At 7
PM, when we threw power to the wire, we found our SWR had gone off the scale.  
We then rechecked the antenna system using the station's Icom 751 at 40 watts
AM. All Okay. Switching back to the transmitter the situation had not improved.
 
Loading the transmitter into a oil cooled dummy load showed that the problem did
not reside in the transmitter.  A scramble then inssued to check each component
of the antenna system, bypassing and swapping out cables and the external tuner.
 
We determined that the 160 meter fullwave loop antenna was not handling the 350
watts PEP of AM carrier. We had checked this antenna previously and had a 1 to 1
match before the rain. At this point we tried our inverted V dipole without
success.The dipole had previously shown an issue with the high power of the 1937
transmitter, it had not been improved by the rain.
 
We then attempted to rematch the loop antenna system to the 1937 W9BSP
transmitter at power, so we could proceed with our Return to Air Event.
 
A sudden frying egg sound and the snap of an arc in the final tank circuit told
us that trying to load the wet antenna directly had failed. Switching back to
the dummy load showed us that we now had developed problems in the transmitter.
 
The air in the kitchen of the farmhouse that our radio room adjoins now had a
distinct ozone tinge. It was decided that we would have to cancel the event for
the evening.
 
We have great confidence that the current problems are correctable and we will
be rescheduling our event when we have resolved them. Our primary problem at
this time appears to keeping the antenna dry, or locating the weak spots in the
antenna system.
 
I would like to thank all those who came out to the Ensor Museum for the
evening, and everyone who participated in the impromptu standby net to hold 3885
for the event.
 
The W9BSP Ensor AM Transmitter will be heard!
 
73 to all
 
Joe Krout, W0PWJ
President,
Marshall Ensor Memorial Organization
www.w9bsp-w9ua.org

[K0ARA]

 This is an updated E-mail  I copied.

====================================

Thanks again for everyone's support and understanding.

Sunday afternoon, Harry W0YQG,  Don W0DEW, and myself delved into the mismatch
issue. We found the source of the arcing in the transmitter was from the antenna
tuning coil to the link coupling loop for the 2 foot neon modulation tube. Since
the RF energy couldn't go out the antenna, it decided to go elsewhere.

Keep in mind 1937 technology did not incorporate fold back circuitry to reduce
power!

Removing the failed link, we stepped through the circuit to the antenna.  
Everything is in order up to the antenna feed.  We are confident that the
problem is in our antenna system.

This Saturday, weather permitting, we will address the antennas and work to
correct the problem.

Once we are confident of the antenna, we will reschedule the event.

Joe Krout W0PWJ
<jkrout@gmail.com>
 

[W3GMS]

Thanks Joe for the update.  Good luck getting the antenna issues resolved this Saturday.  Hopefully you will have good weather.  Although the myth goes, fix or put up an antenna in poor weather and it will work well!
Regards,
Joe, W3GMS
 

[N3PDT]

Quick update on the W9BSP/W9UA Ensor Museum transmitter.

Small team worked on antennas this past weekend. Transmitter was tested yesterday evening and again this evening, Monday the 17th.  The results from both the 160m ladder-fed inverted Vee, and the 160m full wave loop were more than satisfactory. They're now looking at dates for rescheduled return to the air event.  

Doug N3PDT

[W3GMS]

Quick update on the W9BSP/W9UA Ensor Museum transmitter.

Small team worked on antennas this past weekend. Transmitter was tested yesterday evening and again this evening, Monday the 17th.  The results from both the 160m ladder-fed inverted Vee, and the 160m full wave loop were more than satisfactory. They're now looking at dates for rescheduled return to the air event.  

Doug N3PDT

Thanks Doug for the update.  Just let us know when the rescheduled date is and I get back on in an attempt to work them. 

Joe, W3GMS

[N3PDT]

New W9BSP/W9UA special event date announced. The time works out to 01:00 UTC, January 6th

Here is the announcement circulating locally as of today:

Announcing
"Back to the FUTURE" -W9BSP KW-AM Transmitter
3.885 mHz AM - 7 PM Central - Saturday, January 5, 2013

Larry Woodworth WØHXS
Ensor Park and Museum Mgr.
http://www.W9BSP-W9UA.org/ [URL]
12/25/2012

When we stumble, we get up and go again!

Here's what has happened so far;

The 75 year old kilowatt rig was built in 1937 by Marshall H. Ensor for continued 1930's 160 Meter lessons in Morse code and operating theory to thousands of radio fans tuning in his AM and Modulated CW lessons.

The Marshall Ensor Memorial Organization Restore Team worked often over more than 2 years at the Olathe, KS. Ensor Park and Museum during off season hours and succeeded in installing newly built high voltage power supply and new modulation amplifier below the operating desk of the 75 meter W9BSP-W9UA KW transmitter.
Many aged and unsafe wires were replaced along with other components as needed. Much testing took place along the way. Head technician, Harry Krout WØYQG assisted by son Joe, WØPWJ managed the arduous task aided by original hand drawn layouts and schematics by Ensor. Larry Woodworth WØHXS helped devise methods to insert or remove the heavy supplies safely below the desk as well as some transmitter safety features.
Numerous power tests took place into oil can dummy load as well as into the antenna system using a more power rated tuner and feed line elements. Everything seemed to be OK. Information of a December 8 th Special Event was published.
Many hams were on frequency awaiting a chance for contacting the famous W9BSP station, and our crew came in from a light rain to ready for the event. During a last minute check of full power into the antenna the rig did not like any part of the attempt and had an SWR off the scale. They checked for why the problem existed, and only the antenna could be blamed. The failure was a disappointment for all.
Over the next days all questionable details of antenna design pointed to faulty insulator installation that never showed up during low power use of the club transceiver, but the high power and the wet dipole ended our quest.
Some on air tests prove that we are now ready for the post holidays renewed Special Event.

Our special 6-panel QSL w/ historic photos is available for a SASE to Joe Krout WØPWJ Trustee or we will reply to e-QSL. Thank you, and 73.

[W4AAB]

Appreciate all the efforts!! Looking forward to January 4th!!

[N3PDT]

Tonight, 01:00z, 3.885.

They did a Go-No Go test this morning and all is working well.

Doug N3PDT

[W4AAB]

I worked W9BSP Saturday night. Great signals!!

[W3GMS]

I listened, but signals were not good in S.E. PA.  In addition, some of the Ham's up in the N.E. were using the frequency. 
Regards,
Joe, W3GMS

[KB5MD]

Probably would have worked out better on another frequency not in the ghetto.  Lots of adjacent QRM to 3885 here.

[W3GMS]

Probably would have worked out better on another frequency not in the ghetto.  Lots of adjacent QRM to 3885 here.

That is for sure!  Not only was 85 busy but the splatter from QSO's 10 KHz away was very bad.     
Joe, GMS