[BC] WLS Tx History Update

[Warren Shulz]

The WLS history goes:

Harris MW50 x 2 in 1978.  317C3 in 1989 and one MW50 sold off,  1998 DX50 goes in and 2nd MW50 sold off.  316 (10 kW life boat deep back up) was purchased at the same time as the 317C3.

317C3 has proven itself 100's of times as a good standby that comes to life in 20 seconds after being placed in santby 1998. The 317C3 that WMAQ  (today WSCR-670) had was just a few serial numbers apart from the WLS one and was probably the last production run  as th DX50 was sweeping the 50 kW AM market with less power consumption.  With that said the 317 makes a nice generator test load.  Mike Bock was the expert on the MW50.  Training was intensive when he operated one with Ken  at WMAQ.

In spit of the measureable higher distortion of the 317 (intermod and harmonic) the Harris DX50 and Continental 317 will sound near alike in audio performance.  The 317 earned the name Arc 'N' spark.  Its common for flash overs and gas arcs of the PA tubes with loud DC arcs as it goes about its operation.  Many times I  was surprised by a massive flash over and how it returned to operation with no apparent damage.   Hard to say what the 317 faith will be as its worth little but worth everything were it stands as a reliable backup.  Dark days is $5K per output tube rebuilt or $16k new.  These times you run it until it can go no more.

Warren Shulz
WLS CGO

WLS had a MW50 prior to the 317 IIRC. It was replaced in the mid/late 90's
IIRC by a DX50 and the 317 is now the stand-by with a very dark 316 in the
adjoining room as an emergency spare. IIRC, the WLS MW50 went in about the
same time the imfamous WABC TX went in.  But the ventilation mods which
contributed to the WABC TX meltdown were never done to the WLS TX.

I also want to say WMAQ had a MW50 before 83. I was at the TX site in 1981
on a tour and I seem to recall they had it on the air for some time at
that point with the RCA 50 and a 5 in stand-by. The RCA 50 was kept as a
hot stand-by. The recently late Ken Steininger was the TX supervisor at
the time. It's been that long since I've been there.

MM