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Huge Tube Transmitter

PostPosted: Fri Jul 13, 2012 3:55 pm
by Alastair Reynolds
http://www.ominous-valve.com/wlw.html

Interesting story anout class 1A AM radio station in the US.
Licenced for 1/2 a Megawatt, but could in it's final form go to a Megawatt and cover the whole of the USA.
That would get the fillings in your teeth going.

by comparison commercial AM in Australia is 5KW, ABC is 50KW

The Audio Stage was 400KW.

http://www.ominous-valve.com/ for other Valve related stuff

Re: Huge Tube Transmitter

PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 11:17 am
by Junction
These high powered tx's are awesome ... I remember seeing the two ABC AM transmitters in Adelaide years ago, think they are 100kW if I recall, with an open wire feeder connecting the transmitters to the antenna.

For those who dont know what an open wire feeder is, instead of coax cable there is one solid copper wire inner conducter suspended with spacers between four outer conducters which make up the shield, there is no casing around it so the wires are exposed ..... Birds would come land on the wire, if they put one foot on the outer and the other foot on the inner conductor, then 200kW of combined transmitter power would arc through their bodies and poof, the bird would disintegrate, all that was left was the two claws still clinging onto the wires, their bodies blown off at the ankles, a pile of feathers would be lying on the ground.

At least every foot along this open wire feeder would be a set of bird claws, the feeder was at least 100m long, to my calculation thats at least 300 birds gone poof.

Re: Huge Tube Transmitter

PostPosted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 3:21 pm
by Chris H
Junction wrote:These high powered tx's are awesome ... I remember seeing the two ABC AM transmitters in Adelaide years ago, think they are 100kW if I recall, with an open wire feeder connecting the transmitters to the antenna.

For those who dont know what an open wire feeder is, instead of coax cable there is one solid copper wire inner conducter suspended with spacers between four outer conducters which make up the shield, there is no casing around it so the wires are exposed ..... Birds would come land on the wire, if they put one foot on the outer and the other foot on the inner conductor, then 200kW of combined transmitter power would arc through their bodies and poof, the bird would disintegrate, all that was left was the two claws still clinging onto the wires, their bodies blown off at the ankles, a pile of feathers would be lying on the ground.

At least every foot along this open wire feeder would be a set of bird claws, the feeder was at least 100m long, to my calculation thats at least 300 birds gone poof.


.........is that where all those orange bellied parrots whent!!

Re: Huge Tube Transmitter

PostPosted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 3:31 pm
by Chris H
Junction wrote:These high powered tx's are awesome ...

.......At least every foot along this open wire feeder would be a set of bird claws, the feeder was at least 100m long, to my calculation thats at least 300 birds gone poof.


Tomorrows Headlines:

THE ABC's HUGE TUBE TRANSMITTER RESPONSIBLE FOR SEXUAL TRANSMITTER DISEASE........... reaserchers have discovered significant factors leading to a sharp increase in homosexual behaviour in the Australian bird population..........