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Old 03-17-2016, 10:45 AM
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OMG What am I going to do with this??

A friend brought me new toy to play with yesterday. Oh geez what am I to do with this??

I am now the proud (I think) owner of a McMartin BA-K1 AM radio transmitter!!

The transmitter came from a local station that shut down a few months back. My friend's dad bought the building, and my friend traded me this transmitter for a used Jenn-Air in wall oven.

Initially, we were going to sell it, and he left that up to me to deal with. It didn't sell, and I am returning to sea next week, so I don't really have time to try pushing it for sale anymore. He expressed interest in the oven that we were getting rid of, and told me he would be happy to swap the two.

Well heck yeah... why say no?

So now it's here, and of course I can't fire it up in any way. I'm sure it needs to be hooked up to 240, and I wouldn't want to mess anything up without having it looked over by someone familiar with these first.

So, I guess at some later date, I will have to investigate getting a license to operate such a beast.

In any case, it's sorta cool to have!
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File Type: jpg Transmitter020.jpg (74.6 KB, 154 views)
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  #2  
Old 03-17-2016, 11:51 AM
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Very cool! Could probably be converted for use on 160M, or at the very least, you have most of the parts there for a "California Kilowatt" linear amp.

The transformers appear to be single phase, so they can be run in a residential setting without problem other than getting 240V power.
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Old 03-17-2016, 02:09 PM
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I wonder how hard it would be to convert it into a linear amp for the TV band?....It could be fun having your own pirate TV station on the holidays.
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Old 03-17-2016, 11:21 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by N2IXK View Post
The transformers appear to be single phase, so they can be run in a residential setting without problem other than getting 240V power.
The building it will be housed in does not have electricity yet. It was supposed to this past month, but something else came up and I had to direct attention and money somewhere else. So, when I do get power in that building, I will make sure to have a 240 line run to where the transmitter will sit.

I gotta assume this baby uses quite a bit of current... the power transformer is enormous!! And WOW this thing is heavy! It must weight 700-800 pounds! You should have seen us trying to move it!
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Old 03-18-2016, 07:42 AM
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You can start up your own clandestine AM broadcast station!

It puts out 1000 Watts, probably consumes nearly 2000 Watts of power to do it.
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Old 03-18-2016, 07:47 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Electronic M View Post
I wonder how hard it would be to convert it into a linear amp for the TV band?....It could be fun having your own pirate TV station on the holidays.
Looking at a few Youtube videos, looks like it can be converted up to the 160M ham band, 1.8 to 2 Mhz. It's designed for AM broadcast 550-1700 kHz. Not designed for VHF TV frequencies. So it won't work for that.
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Old 03-18-2016, 11:34 AM
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Quote:
my friend traded me this transmitter for a used Jenn-Air in wall oven.
Man, you got amazing friends.
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Old 03-18-2016, 02:55 PM
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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.
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Last edited by Jeffhs; 03-18-2016 at 03:07 PM.
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  #9  
Old 03-18-2016, 03:05 PM
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Of course I was jesting. Note the use of the word "clandestine"..geezzz...

If you have a General or better amateur radio operators license (I have an Extra Class) you can indeed operate that transmitter if modified to operate at 1.8 to 2 mHz, the 160 Meter ham band. So if you don't want to get at least a general class ham license, you might take it to a local "hamfest" sidewalk sale and sell it to someone who can legally put it on the air.
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  #10  
Old 03-18-2016, 03:20 PM
snelson903 snelson903 is offline
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me liky alot ,,,, now why can't i run across stuff like that.
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  #11  
Old 03-19-2016, 08:24 AM
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Man, Jeff is such a party-pooper!!

Yes, Jeff, I am well aware that I can't just plug this thing in and start using it. Thanks for your kind words.

I've already read a little bit about what it takes to start a radio station and the costs involved. Set up cost aren't as bad as one would think. However, this baby takes up a lot of juice... 4500 watts at 240 volts... it would be like operating an electric clothes dryer or hot water heater all day long!

I'm kinda intrigued about the idea, but I need an AM radio station like I need a hole in my head!

This item isn't something that can easily be brought to swap meets, either. This SOB is HEAVY! I'm guessing it's a good 700-800 pounds! It took three of us to move it with an appliance dolly, and it was NOT fun!
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Old 03-19-2016, 10:58 AM
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I'd probably stuff it somewhere in the corner of a (walk-in) basement or shed. While you might not be legally allowed to use it right now it still makes got good bragging rights.

Quote:
So this is my beer fridge, this is my upright deep freezer and this is my radio transmitter.
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Old 03-19-2016, 11:24 AM
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You just have to love gear that has a window to look at the tubes glowing...
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  #14  
Old 03-19-2016, 11:30 AM
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Quote:
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While you might not be legally allowed to use it right now it still makes got good bragging rights.
Damn skippy!!
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Old 03-19-2016, 11:57 AM
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Might make a decent driver for reflashing getters, using either a fixed coil or a wand.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lOenKVTYyRQ

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gQBmt-z0w9g

Most induction heaters that I have seen operate below the broadcast band (500 khz or so) but this transmitter perhaps could be modified for lower frequency,



jr
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