[BC] paying the bills, Small AM, Class "D" Station

[Scott Bailey]

Tim,
  I have fun here at this little station. I love old gear too! Back in the 90's we used a Gates BC-250GY for the pre-sunrise and post-sunset. I had 40 watts for post-sunset back then, but they came along and recalculated the post-sunset and gave me less power around 2005. I went in the the PA Voltage rotary control and mounted some resistors in series, and got the thing down to 40 watts, with no distortion and no bias problems!  It sounded good. 

 I wished I had never sold that transmitter. I had a guy call me back a few month ago that knew I wanted one, but it was too far away. By the time I hired a driver, with a truck and trailer to go get it, change frequency, it was just too much money to have tied up in a 1948 Gates Transmitter. Like you said, a constant 2700 watts pulling from the wall, just to get 250 watts is insane for a small, commercial station serving a small town. A solid state would serve me best.

 I have a 4-000 tube here at home. I also got my hands on a transformer that will give me 5 to 6 volts to light the filaments of the tube. My father-in-law is going to build a box, mount the tube socket on top of the box, mount the transformer in the box, plug it up to 110 AC and we'll light the filaments of the 4-400 tube. It's office decor. I'm going to do the same thing with an 833 tube.

 My last full time tube transmitter at WMRO was a Collins 20V-3. I kept having trouble with the output network. My dad was still alive then, and he told me that I looked tired and disgusted fooling with that transmitter. 

 He told me to order a brand new Harris (Gates One) Solid State box. We went to the factory in Quincy to get it. I sold the Collins to a church in South America. This was 1997. I got the BE in 2007 because I was having so many problems with the PA Modulator in the Harris, in addition, the PDM amplifier was dying as well.

 I can do 250 watts and only draw 630 watts out of the wall with the BE AM1A. But let me tell ya, I miss the warm sound of tubes! Like I said, I semi-disable, on disability, and as long as that little AM pays it's way, I'm happy. I don't take a salary out of it. The station is owned by me and my mom. My mother has 40% and I'm President and GM with 60% of the controlling stock.

 I plan to keep my mother a part of the corporation due to it looks good to the FCC that I have a female in it. My mom was only 19 when I was born, so she has some good years ahead. Her real love is being an RN. She is retired from a hospital that my dad was administrator of. If something happens to her, that stock goes to my wife Leslie. Leslie has a "real job", working for Comdata in Nashville. 

 Like I said, I'm living my dream, and I'm enjoying it. Money is not everything in the world, nor is property that is useless, as long as I have God. He takes care of me. I'm on my wife's medical insurance, and money is no big deal. It doesn't take much to make me happy, just a little 250 AM station, serving the community. Profits (if any) goes to the savings account in case I have equipment problems.

 One more thing, radials don't have to be that long on 1560. Some think they do. My consultant engineer to me that I'm getting out good already. Better than I need to! I have bought the copper to put down a new ground system, but I can't do it until the weather here clears up.

Best to ya,
       Scott Bailey 

P.S.: I forgot to tell you, my on air control board is a BE, Model 5M150, Mono Console, built back in 1979. All solid state and parts are off the shelf. It has rotary faders. I hate slide faders, I like rotary faders instead!

--
Scott Bailey
WMRO Radio, Gallatin, TN
  
> Scott,
> 
> yes, solid state is the only way if you are in the business. this  
> antique RA-250 coming my way is rather bad on that -  2700 watts out  
> of the wall to get 250 carrier sucks pretty bad.... literally.   :D
> 
> I don't care a whit - I don't have to make those decisions based on  
> money. Old transmitters shouldn't wind up in landfills. History is  
> important and once discarded it's never reclaimed.
> 
> I am glad I'm 'just a ham'. I wanted to get a job in the biz but I  
> missed passing my first phone ( I cant remember if it was still  
> actually called that at that time) at the Baltimore FCC office in  
> 1982 or so, and never retook it. I had the skills, but only fair at  
> math, and I did not want to be looking for a new job every 6 weeks as  
> it seemed to me from outside no one from the on air talent to the  
> engineering staff ever kept their job longer than that. :D the other  
> observation was and is is that terra firma radio broadcasting is  
> horribly over-regulated and controlled in relation to the profit  
> potential possible from it. This goes 3X for AM.
> 
> it sounds to me like you're doing what you like to do and as long as  
> you can turn a dime here and there you're OK doing that.  Thats a  
> pretty good way to lead your life on the face of it.
> 
> Tim