[BC] Why an older transmitter may be a good choice

[Robert Meuser]

That really  depends on a number of things. Tube rigs do not like 
sitting idle, they must be exercised on a regular basis and kept clean 
just as if the are a main. The exercising itself could be a gotcha since 
that probably subjects the TX to a lot more on off cycling unless the 
station is a hard day only operation. With tubes being more and more 
difficult to find, I would think a step start on the filaments would be 
a good addition. I think the practical question is how many small 
stations can afford to spoon feed a tube aux so that it will be reliable 
when needed that can not afford two solid state TXs?  This would be 
especially true if the station had a history of good financial 
management. In that case somewhere in the 80s or 90s a SS TX was 
purchased. At that time the tube TX was retained as the aux. After a ten 
year depreciation another SS TX was purchased and the original retained 
as backup.  If the station was really old meaning it might possibly have 
a large TX building, the tube TX could be retained as an off line 
ultimate disaster recovery unit.  There are some class A stations that 
operate this way with two or more on line 50 KW TXs one tube TX of 10 or 
50 KW normally disconnected from everything awaiting the ultimate disaster.

R


Rob Atkinson wrote:

> I won't argue with you on that Robert, but how about this--a tube aux 
> is better than no aux at all?  Or is that no longer the case as well?
>
> rob a.
>
>
> From: Robert Meuser <Robertm at broadcast.net>
> Reply-To: Broadcasters' Mailing List <broadcast at radiolists.net>
> To: "Broadcasters' Mailing List" <broadcast at radiolists.net>
> Subject: Re: [BC] Why an older transmitter may be a good choice
> Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2007 22:45:43 -0500
>
> unless you re-match the antenna. This is the kind of stuff you are 
> paid for.
>
>
> R
>
> Rob Atkinson wrote:
>
>> I agree that a s.s. tx makes sense monitarily, but something happened 
>> recently that made me think keeping an old tube rig as an aux is not 
>> a bad idea.  I can't recall what it was for sure but it may have been 
>> the WFIN tower accident.  I guess if you have an antenna emergency 
>> and you have to temporarily work into a less than satisfactory load, 
>> a tube rig might be happier with that.
>>
>> rob atkinson
>> st. charles IL
>> k5uj
>
>