[BC] WLW related historical question

[Paul Ford]

Kevin Tekel wrote:

>Jeff Glass wrote:
>  
>
>>I do not have any concrete proof that WLW ever operated the 500 kW rig
>>at any time after they lost the privilege to use the rig full time.
>>Therefore, those stories could be untrue.
>>    
>>
>
>As we discussed here (or was it on radio-tech?) a few months ago, there
>is some pretty solid -- although not yet proven -- evidence that during
>the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, WLW fired up "Big Bertha" and ran it at
>somewhere between 500 and 750 kW, at the request of the U.S. government.  
>
>Aside from that, however, the details get very sketchy.  Some say the big
>rig was kept in operational condition through the Cold War, although in
>that case "operational" might just be a nice way of saying "fully intact",
>as opposed to its current partially-dismanted condition.
>
>
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>  
>
During WWII, while in high school, I was an operator at WAOV, Vincennes, 
IN and, in order to receive civil defense alerts, I slept, and lived, at 
the transmitter to allow 24 hour monitoring of WLW.  At midnight, they 
went to 500kW as W8XO and I had to reduce the receiver volume because it 
was so loud.  When they sent the test message, generally at 2 or 3am, I 
had to call them and report reception.  I believe this was 1942 or 43.  
Every Sunday afternoon we rebroadcast their 50kW off air signal for a 
civil defense program.
Paul Dean Ford, P.E.