RCA BTA-1R1 broadcast transmitter

When I got my RCA, I got a pair.... (see photo from the day they came home with me).

A few years ago, after a long search, I found a broadcast transmitter, that turned out to be two, a pair with consecutive serial numbers from a station group in Chicago. One of these I first restored, then modified to run on 80, 40, and 20 meters. I put a ton of time into it and it works very nicely.

The second one has sat, basically untouched, since I got it. It is untested. Currently the iron is out, and it is laying on its side on a cart in my storage unit. It was modified by the original station to have some remote control and monitoring. That has been removed, I swiped the relays and such for my other one's remote control and monitoring (I operate it from my shack via a touchscreen). I can't guarantee there's not some missing or added bit in the control system. The output was modified by the original station and is missing the IL302 second inductor. This is a tapped 15uH unit. As you will be redesigning the output network for ham bands, you'll possibly want something else anyway...

The screen resistor IR506 is also not there; this is a 50K with an adjustable tap for low power/night operation. Because it is fine wire exposed to air, it corrodes and breaks. Both of mine went bad/broke while being adjusted in the conversion. It could be replaced by two fixed resistors or an eBay find of an equivalent (what I eventually did). The unit comes with a repaired where necessary and fully tested oscillator board and crystal for 1240kHz. Also a full set of NOS military/JAN low level tubes. The big tubes, four 4-400A's, that are included, are weak as weak can be. You can use them to make it run and see if it turns on and off, but they're done. 4-400's are expensive/hard to find. I am running 4-250A's in the other one, with three resistor changes to account for bias and screen voltage differences. They are well within limits at the low/night power level, which, with tweaking, is now 340 watts carrier. They will do 1300 watts carrier at full power but that is beyond the plate dissipation limit. They are easier to find and cost much less....

The blower that was installed in it is not original (no surprise given its age) and is inadequate -- the air flow specs are well short of the original. It is certainly adequate at the low power setting and/or in conditioned space, but if it's in your 100F garage at full power, it isn't enough; you'll need to source the right one.

This unit comes with no guarantee as far as everything else being working, because it is untested... It comes with any amount of help I can give with its restoration, I have become pretty familiar with where its partner had issues...

I am located in west Michigan. I can transport it for a cost, I have a truck and trailer, that's how I got it from Chicago, like the picture shows.

I am not in a hurry to sell this, but feel it would be better on the air instead of in storage. I am looking for someone who'll actually get it running and use it, rather than leave it sitting on their back porch or in the barn...

Things to note: it is 7 feet tall, 2 1/2 feet wide, and weighs 1500 pounds. Not spouse-friendly, not readily moved, don't plan on getting it into the basement. As far as long-stored sixty year old equipment goes, it is exceptionally clean. As far as I can tell, it was located in the station’s main offices rather than in a shack out a field. There’s no residual tobacco odor. I've also attached the manual with schematic and information including specs and drawings.

Contact me via email, the current email on QRZ and in my profile here is correct.

Ed