[BC] RCA BTA5L

[nakayle at gmail.com]

   The first station I worked for in 1962 had a RCA BTA-5G which I think was
installed in 1953.  It had 4 cubicles with unique sliding accordion doors.
It came in both 5-KW and a 10-KW versions.  Both used 5762 modulators- the
5-KW used  two 5762s in the PA while the 10-KW used three.  Other than the
one extra PA tube I don't think there was much difference between the two.
Another unique thing about it was the HV rectifiers were thyratrons so you
could easily adjust the power by changing the output voltage.  They did give
some problems though which let to the decision to replace it in 1964 as the
main with a BTA-5T.  I was not impressed.  It had one 5762 in final and
3x3000s in the modulators.  I think it was one of the first to use silicon
rectifiers. It struck me as a stripped down xmtr made to sell cheap.
Certainly didn't have the reserve the 5G did.

 I know there was at least one model between the G and T because one of our
competitors had a RCA 5KW that was more in the style of the 5T but with
three cubicles and used 2 5762s and I think it used regular MV rects
(8008s?) instead of thyratrons.  I only saw it a couple times so I don't
remember much about it.

 - Nat Kayle


On Tue, Apr 29, 2008 at 11:15 PM, Dana Puopolo <dpuopolo at usa.net> wrote:

> What 5 kW RCA transmitter had two PA tubes?  Was it the one that came out
> just
> before my BTA-5T? Perhaps the BTA-5R? I know the 5-T had third harmonic
> resonators in both the cathode and plate circuits-which allowed it to use
> just
> one PA tube.
>
> -D
>
>
>