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Re: Topband: and KDKA

To: "herbs@vitelcom.net" <herbs@vitelcom.net>, TopBand List <topband@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: and KDKA
From: HAROLD SMITH JR <w0rihps@sbcglobal.net>
Reply-to: HAROLD SMITH JR <w0rihps@sbcglobal.net>
Date: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 19:44:13 -0700 (PDT)
List-post: <topband@contesting.com">mailto:topband@contesting.com>
Hello Herb and all,

In the early 70 I was on one of my many trips to DL land. My friend DL2VP, now 
SK, was an engineer at DW-TV and German Radio 
on 1584kHz. The final was 12kV at 80 Amps. 960kW input. The vacuum variables 
were bigger than trash cans.
The power-supply took up a room about 12 X 15ft. They had yellow lines to stay 
within. 
I guess we could have put it on 160...

73 Price W0RI


Thanks,


Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ


amps
On 9/12/2013 5:05 PM, Donna Halper wrote:
> I have heard a number of similar stories, some of which seem to be legends or 
> perhaps based on some kernel of truth that got exaggerated. I don't know for 
> sure about the one Herb mentioned, because I find no reporting on it in any 
> of the sources I've checked.  We do know that in 1938, KDKA was one of 12 
> stations that applied to be a super-power station, like WLW, which had 
> temporarily been allowed to use 500 kw.  But KDKA withdrew its request in 
> mid-1938, and settled for operating at 50,000 watts. In fact, as of 1940, the 
> Pittsburgh AM station was one of the handful of stations broadcasting with 
> 50,000 w.  In mid-1942, Westinghouse advertisements still stressed the 50,000 
> watt transmitters in use by KDKA and other stations in the group.
> 
> The only record I can find of high-powered broadcasting is on the 
> _short-waves_-- requests for super-power were received in 1941, and the FCC 
> permitted about 12 stations to utilize this high power.  And in 1943, it was 
> widely reported that high-powered shortwave stations were beaming 
> pro-American news over to Europe, and Westinghouse stations were among the 
> high-powered broadcasters doing this-- but there was no mention of KDKA in 
> the list of shortwave stations involved; WBOS in Boston was one that did 
> receive some press for this activity. That doesn't mean the story is false-- 
> it just means that all of the sources to which I have access don't mention 
> it: I even looked for reports by well-known radio columnists who generally 
> wrote about such things.  Perhaps someone with access to legal databases 
> (which I do not have) can check to see if a lawsuit was actually filed, or if 
> this is the stuff of legend.  And just as an FYI, we also know there was a
 high-powered station with 250,000 watts as far back as 1925-- the Tropical 
Radio Telegraph Company put it on the air in Hialeah, Florida.



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