[Jeffhs]

Don't try to put that transmitter on the air; don't even think of it. I shouldn't have to mention this, but unlicensed operation of any radio transmitter is illegal and will get you in a lot of trouble with the FCC. I realize the person who suggested using the transmitter as the heart of a bootleg radio station was joking (I hope, anyway), but this is no joking matter. I'd sell the transmitter back to whomever you bought it from and forget it. If you have an amateur radio license, you will likely lose it when, not if, the FCC discovers you're operating an unlicensed 1kW AM radio transmitter.

No one who has ever done this has gotten away with it. There was an article in a 1968 issue of, IIRC, the now-defunct Electronics Illustrated magazine, in which the story was told of a bootleg short-wave station that used a 60-watt AM amateur transmitter, operating in a part of the 80-meter amateur band where US stations are not allowed, and a battered phonograph turntable. The station's call sign was WBBH, and it was discovered by the FCC shortly after it signed on.

WBBH was forced off the air very soon after and was never heard from again. However, the call sign WBBH is now used by a legitimate, fully licensed television station in Fort Myers, Florida. WBBH (TV) is an affiliate of the NBC television network.

The title of the Electronics Illustrated article which chronicled the short life of WBBH (the bootleg SW station) was "WBBH, the station with everything...except a license." The station had absolutely nothing in common with WBBH-TV, except the call sign.

I am sure it will be nearly impossible for a person to get a license to operate an AM broadcast transmitter, and even if it were possible, the fees involved in starting an AM radio station (tower siting, et al.) are prohibitively high. Leave broadcasting to the professionals. Again, this is no joking matter. The FCC takes an extremely dim view of anyone operating an unlicensed radio transmitter; the only exceptions are 0.1-watt (100 milliwatts) stations that operate under Part 15 regulations.