[BC] In search of Harris SX1

[Powell Way]

Well Paul, you are wrong on this one all the way. As for what Mike 
McCarthy said he's 100% on the money with it. I will add some gasoline 
to the fire and imbed my comments inline

On Mar 8, 2009, at 6:11 AM, Paul B. Walker, Jr. wrote:

> I know the station in question well.
>
> There's a couple reasons said station is looking for what they're 
> looking
> for.
>
> A.) The budget is NOT that big and they would NOT be able to afford a 
> Nautel
> J1000 or anything brand new. Just being honest, 'cuse it's the truth.
>

If they are that bad off they need to shut the doors. It costs too much 
money not to have a modern solid state transmitter.

> B.) Secondly, this station is in an area prone to thunder and 
> lightning.
> Solid state transmitters, regardless of what you do to them to protect 
> them,
> are NOT very forgiving at all like older tube type (not totally solid 
> state)
> transmitters are.
>

This is just not true at all. You have no clue to what you are talking 
about.

> I'm sure there are other reasons an SX1 or MW-1 would work for this 
> station
> and would be a better choice over something newer. Plus, an SX1 and an 
> MW1
> are smaller then some of the ancient tube transmitters from the 50s 
> and 60s
>

A SX-1 or MW-1 is NOT and I repeat IS NOT AT ALL SMALLER than the RCA 
you had at Abbeville.

> Don't assume that because it wouldnt or can't work for you, that it 
> doesn't
> or can't work for someone else.
>

You are the one "ASSuME-ing" that it will work. You may THINK this will 
work, but it is not really. It just looks like it. You are trading one 
set of troubles for others.

That BTA-1M could have been made to work also, may I remind you. But 
doing that at what cost, around $7500 for a complete rebuild when a 
solid state transmitter would have been wiser. And then all the free 
help that Bill gave you and work that would have been billed at around 
$15,000 because the facility had fallen in to that much disrepair over 
the years previous to your arrival!!  And we have pictures don't we??

> My RCA BTA1-M got 3 hits from  lightning and for the most part, was 
> fine.

So has our BE AM1a and has laughed it off. A super strong direct hit 
that jumps the spark gap ( if it can will eat up either transmitter. 
This is a false assumption. There are thousands of solid state 
transmitters purring along.  Repeated lightning damage indicates a 
faulty installation!

Changing a SX-1 to another frequency costs money. Likely there is a 
VERY good reason that transmitter was let go. Then  you get to pay even 
more money to fix those problems. Also, a lot of the transistors are 
OBSOLETE in the MW series, the SX series and even the GATES series. 
Harris no longer supports the MW and SX series, and I think not much 
longer for the Gates series. And the MW-1 often does NOT pass NRSC or 
it will be very costly to try to get it to comply.

So you are giving false and misguided engineering advice. You are not 
an engineer and don't  need to play one. You should not give advice 
that is not correct.

And since your assumptions are out of ignorance, you have been duly 
corrected. Now, if you continue on this course.... guess what you'll be 
called next?

I like you Paul, but you need to LEARN the facts before you give 
advice.... or not give any
advice in areas you have no competent knowledge!