----- Original Message ----- From: "Rick Brashear" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> When the mighty RCA BT series were in regular use, was there a particular > broadcast console that would take advantage of all the remote capabilities > of the transmitter? > Rick/K5IZ By BA series you must mean the BTA- for AM transmitters and BTF- for FM transmitters. Consoles were identified by another series, for example BC-, or by their numbers such as the 76-A, B and C. In the earliest years when this equipment was state of the art, the FCC required a transmitter engineer to be at the transmitter site during all hours of broadcast. He was required to possess a First Class Radiotelephone license, and as part of his duties, he took meter readings every 1/2 hour and adjusted the transmitter to maintain frequency and power output. Many stations of that era did not broadcast twenty-four hours a day, in fact most signed off at or before midnight. As a custom, all stations signed off and signed on by proudly playing the Star Spangled Banner. As a consequence, many studios were co-located at the transmitter site, and station operators were put though a one-weekend wonder course to obtain a First Class license. Later on, in the late 50's, rules were relaxed somewhat and unattended transmitters could be monitored by station metering at a remote studio. Transmitter control and meter readings were still required each 1/2 hour. By 1961, operators possessing a Third Class license were permitted to operate the station and turn on and off the transmitter. Meter readings were still required, and a First Class licensed engineer was required to work on the transmitter. Many transmitter designs of this era were not designed to by operate remote control. Many had thermal-controlled overload circuit-breaker switches and some contained fuses. Tuning was accomplished by front panel controls. Further, the FCC restricted transmitter equipment by certification; a transmitter had to be type-accepted or specially certified to broadcast and no electrical changes or equipment modifications were permitted. Accordingly, companies such as Rust created rube-goldberg attachments which could be bolted on the front of a transmitter such as a RCA BTA-1MX to enable remote control. They included big ugly motor driven articulated arms which could grasp the lever of a circuit breaker and toggle the breaker on or off. The transmitter's metering circuits were tapped (but could not be broken) to provide remote meter readings. Stepper switches, synchronized between the transmitter site and the remote studio, were used to select metering circuits for remote display. Additional motor driven devices were bolted onto the front of the transmitter to allow plate tuning or increase and decrease in power output. With these modifications, the transmitter was rendered as almost unrecognizable. If a fuse failed, an engineer had to travel to the transmitter site and replace it. Later design transmitters such as the Bauer 707 provided integral remote control capabilities. 73 de Bill, AB6MT [EMAIL PROTECTED] ______________________________________________________________ AMRadio mailing list List Rules (must read!): http://w5ami.net/amradiofaq.html List Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/amradio Partner Website: http://www.amfone.net Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.html Post: mailto:AMRadio@mailman.qth.net To unsubscribe, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word unsubscribe in the message body.
