[BC] West 50HG Design

[stanleybadams]

I think that I have finally found a source for a manual for this
transmitter.

However, back to my last question what was the driver size, nearly all of
the higher powered transmitters had drivers of the 5 or 10 kW variety.
All WE 407's had a 5 banger driving the final modulation and RF section.
Most of the transmitters that I know about in the old series had a design of
this type.  Obviously, Tom WLW was an exception to this rule, but after this
time frame of push for power, the builders settled onto a basic building
block.  RCA used 5kW drivers to drive the final stages of the transmitter.
Modulation could have been low level as in WE or plate modulated as in the
last of the GE's, but there usually was a system based on that.  I do not
think that the new transmitters would qualify especially the tubeless ones
as that is an entirely diff process.  TV transmitters did the same thing,
they used an exciter and a set of drivers to bring the level up to about a 5
5kW level when then they usually cathode or grid modulated the "modulated
stage"  which from there unto the end of the transmitter had to be tuned for
bypass in a balance of power.  You had to pass the color burst and the high
end with minimal roll off and ringing.  I have sweep tuned a lot of old
RCA's and barley make power and color. You could also do a quick check using
your vits signal and playing around with the stages especially if you had to
quickly replace one of the tubes during the evening hours. 

So I hope you guys see what I mean.  My hunch is the HG used a 5kW
self-contained driver a three cabinet affair in the original hg1 series to
drive the rest of the transmitters.  I talked with one engineer who was
familiar with the one at KDKA and another engineer for KKYX?  in San Antonio
who said that both transmitters had tubes in them that were original thirty
year old tubes, that the old Westinghouse 829's were (or maybe the AW-220 in
the oldest made ones) were just that good.  RCA tubes could not compare at
all.  The transmitters always worked period, and worked good are all the
reports that I have received.

I want to thank all the guys that have responded to my questions and to all
of the emails and notes that I have received about the Heavy Metal Series
and the original WOR Transmitter article.  It keeps me writing!  I love this
old stuff and some of us need to help carry the story over to younger
generations before it is all forgotten and everything just winds up like
everything else, in the trash pile of life.

Stan