[BC] Re: Boring versus exciting transmitters

[nakayle@gmail.com]

Well when they did away with mercury rectifiers it took a lot of the
fun out of radio.  It's sad to think how many engineers today have
never seen the blue glow of MV rectifers flashing with the music.  Or
hear the roar of motor-generators making DC for the filaments.  Or see
the majestic spray of water ponds cooling big linear amp tubes.

It seems every new innovation in transmitter design is less visually
interesting than what it replaced.  The big glowing glass bottles were
replaced by small ceramic tubes and then they were replace by
transistors.  And I'm sure when vacuum tubes began replacing
spark-coil transmitters the old timers were saying that radio is
pretty boring now without big blue flashes and the smell of ozone in
the air.

 -Nat Kayle