[BC] 25 Hz AC Transmitter

[Joseph DiPietro]

The FM branch of REL was split from the Defense Branch as some point and 
continued manufacturing broadcast transmitters under another name.  I 
worked for them (REL) from 1981 till 1985.  They had moved the defense 
group to Boynton Beach Florida from Long Island.  Shortly after I left 
they just faded away.  Most of the long-time employees that have come 
down with the company from New York said the company was gradually being 
broken up and sold piecemeal.
I later met Frank Gunther at his home on Staten Island.  I was an 
engineer for the cellular company and we were putting a cell site on his 
property, hanging the antennas on his old square railroad signaling 
tower.  Frank claimed that the tower was the one Armstrong used for the 
first experimental FM transmissions.  He spent hours showing me his 
collection of REL equipment in his garage-museum.

Joe DiPietro


Mark Humphrey wrote:
> On 12/8/06, r j carpenter <rcarpen1 at verizon.net> wrote:
>> From: DHultsman5 at aol.com says:
> 
>> REL (Radio Engineering Labs) appeared to be the "appointed" / "official"
>> FM manufacturer.  You'll find lots about REL along with their ads in
>> Milton Sleeper's old "FM" and "FM & Television" magazine.
> 
> 
> More background on REL history is here:
> 
> http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/people.php?page=frank_gunther.html
> 
> I had the opportunity to chat with Frank Gunther at a Radio Club of
> America banquet before he passed on.   From what I gather, Major
> Armstrong worked very closely with REL, and their exciter was based on
> his phase-shift modulator patent, so that's the connection.
> 
>> The Rural Radio Network was mostly equipped with GE gear.  They used REL
>> receivers for off-the-air relay.  Things must have sounded pretty ratty
>> after 3 or 4 hops, all analog of course.  I've scanned the "FM" magazine
>> articles about the RRN, but I understand it was far too large for
>> Barry's site.  I don't know where the files are now.
> 
> I have that article and a bunch of other RRN material, including some
> old pictures and airchecks, and FCC licnese files contributed by Xen
> Scott.  Hope to have a profile posted on my website after the
> holidays.
> 
> The article claims RRN was able to maintain less than 1% THD from end
> to end -- but considering they were using Phasitron exciters, I'm
> doubtful that it met that spec at 50 "cycles"!
> 
> Most programming originated from the downtown Ithaca studio, so it
> would usually make one STL hop, then two rebroadcast hops before
> reaching the outer stations.  The original receive antennas at each
> site were big Hoisington co-linear arrays, later replaced with yagis.
> After Pat Robertson (CBN) took over the network in 1969, the off-air
> relay system was replaced with Moseley 303 STLs at all stations except
> WJIV in Cherry Valley, which continued to take an off-air signal from
> DeRuyter.
> 
> When I was contract engineer for the Wethersfield station in the late
> '70s, the original REL receiver had been replaced with a McMartin, for
> backup use in case the Moseley failed.
> 
> Mark
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> 

-- 
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Joseph DiPietro, P.E.
rfEngineers, Inc.
1213 NW 16th AV
Gainesville, FL 32601
352-367-1725
joed at rfengineers.com
http://www.rfengineers.com
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