[BC] Gates early solid state consoles

[Gary Peterson]

" When I was in Roswell we had a wireline connection going out to
the FM transmitter.  It had, at the downtown telco facility, a line
amplifier.  That amplifier was clipping.  I couldn't seem to get the
attention of the telco guys but one day I suggested that I bring to
their facility a scope so we could see the clipping.
So I took my little scope down there and sure nuff the input to
the amp was clean and the output was clipped.
One of the fellows said to me "I just don't see why you are so
upset about that.  After all this is for your FM station and the
signal gets clipped heavily in the receiver anyway."
Sigh.
- JimT "

A broadcast engineer, old-timer once told me a similar story about 30 years
ago.  He said, the telephone company inserted an amplifier in the central
office that was unnecessary (the station could easily make up the loss in
the loop) and *clipping*.  After sign-off, the CE disconnected the 111C and
hooked the circuit to a kamikaze cord (115 V plug with alligator clips at
the end of the cord).  After feeding the C.O. line voltage for a few
seconds, the program circuit would be dead, with the amplifier in question
over the hill.  He would then call toll-test (C.O.s were manned 24/7 in
those days) and tell them the program loop wasn't working.  After the
telephone company lost a couple of amplifiers, they decided to leave them
out of the circuit.  That's what I was told, anyway.

Gary, K?CX