[BC] How would you build it?

[James Potter]

Rene:

Thanks for the history lesson.  I grew up in the Philly suburbs and misspent my youth listening to WFIL Famous 56 and Wibbage 990. I took a Boy Scout tour of 990 in the early '60s when we saw the 50G --Wow!  So many cabinets! Quite a lot bigger than my HeathKit DX-20 ham transmitter with my outboard P-P 6L6 plate modulator.  Did the pirate ever get it on the air?

Later I worked at 'FIL in the late '60s at the Roundhouse for Triangle Pubs owned by Ambassador to the Court of St. James, Walter Annenburg.  He conducted a white glove (literally) inspection of my FM studio automation. Scared the crap out of me!

Famous 56 had a big, big signal with heavy modulation for all those '60s rock songs.  That BC-5H really pushed-out the AM RF!  With that 10K modulator, IIRC it was adjusted to around 200% modulation until the Commission reigned in super-modulators down to 125%.  To my age group, both 560 and 990 are Philly legends ranking right along with Ben Franklin and the Liberty Bell during the finest age of Rock-n-Roll from Buddy through the Beatles. 

You, Sir, are the curator of many fond memories of AM radio in its heyday. Long live AM!

Thanks/Regards/J