I just picked up a fascinating short form catalog of 1950 Gates Radio AM transmitters and accessories. It is a glittery deluxe production, with eloquent text and photography. For instance, "Engineered for a lifetime performance - massive and smartly styled - attractive to the quality eye, the Gates BC-1F transmitter is completely new from oscillator to power amplifier."...."Probably more premeditated engineering has been placed in the new Gates air conditioned one thousand watt transmitter than any similar equipment in broadcast history. Gates engineers are practical men, too. The new dependable Gates BC-1F broadcasting equipment does have, as well as near perfection electronically, good mechanical engineering, studied parts placement, distinguished styling and - complete air conditioning."
There are 8 pages including full interior photos of this model alone. This was the original quad 833 rig for Gates, I am guessing, using a pair of 845s as audio drivers and 813 as an RF driver. It weighed 3100 lbs packed, 72 inches wide and 33 deep. Definitely beats the Raytheon RA1000 for being a hulk. BTW, the BC5B was 9600 lbs, 165 inches wide and 48 inches deep! Nowadays you can by a Broadcast Electronics 50 kW solid state in a smaller package!
Beside the more common BC250GY, there is the rare BC500D, Customaire transmitter. This dense unit has a pair of 810s modulating a 450TH, driven by an 813. It weighed 1500 lbs packed, was 36" wide and 26" deep, compared the -GY which was quad 810s, and 40" wide by 33" deep at 900 lbs.
Parker Gates was doing well in the post war broadcast station growth period, evident by the marketing and advertising in this information. Main competition was likely to be RCA and Collins, for this bread and butter business.
I plan to scan and upload the entire booklet, on this website soon. Harold Hallikainen has gathered a nice collection of old manuals and brochures:
http://sujan.hallikainen.org/BroadcastHistory/
