OK pros.. Teach a low level ENG where to find a low power AM to use as back up to a trusty BE-500a Solid State.. LPB is gone, what do you guys like Watt and Chief suggest? I have an old Mc Martin and tubes I am getting rid of (taken and they are paying a good price).. I just need something, in case.. The old tube unit had to be manually switched, and need a couple of hundred in reconditioning.... Thanks gang! Perfect if I could find a 100 watt unit (night power is 101)...... "Skip"
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Back up low wattage AM Xmitter...
- Thread starter skippertthomas
- Start date
skippertthomas said:OK pros.. Teach a low level ENG where to find a low power AM to use as back up to a trusty BE-500a Solid State.. LPB is gone, what do you guys like Watt and Chief suggest? I have an old Mc Martin and tubes I am getting rid of (taken and they are paying a good price).. I just need something, in case.. The old tube unit had to be manually switched, and need a couple of hundred in reconditioning.... Thanks gang! Perfect if I could find a 100 watt unit (night power is 101)...... "Skip"
Honestly, you should have kept the McMartin. What it's going to cost you for a TIS transmitter will probably be more than to fix the McMartin.
BTW, LPB is still in business: http://www.lpbinc.com/index_amtrans.htm
The ol'gal just takes too much space and I will need the room for a rack, soon.. Get the drift? So a transmitter that looks like a external hard drive is perfered......... I thought LPB is 'kapoot' and no more? The phone number does not work and I get no replies from emails....
Didn't Crown International build some little AM boxes at one point? Might could find one of them.
Armstrong makes a small unit..it appears the lowest unit might be 500 watts.
http://www.armstrongtx.com
http://www.armstrongtx.com
LPB is gone...the website is still up but they are very much gone. I usually recommend the Energy-Onix Pulsar 250 as a low cost, low power AM box.
http://www.energy-onix.com/HTML/Catalog Sheets/Pulsar 250 500 B.html
Otherwise, Armstrong and BE both have 500 watt offerings, and Radio Systems has a 10 watter.
http://www.energy-onix.com/HTML/Catalog Sheets/Pulsar 250 500 B.html
Otherwise, Armstrong and BE both have 500 watt offerings, and Radio Systems has a 10 watter.
That being the case, looks like my original assessment is true. No matter what you come up with, looks like it's gonna cost more than what it would have been to fix the McMartin....hope you got a real good deal on it.
Be cautious if you are looking at a TIS transmitter as mentioned earlier. First, check the type acceptance, second I think their audio bandwidth is even more restricted than the NRSC mask since they are basicly voice radios, no music. I hear the local municipality's TIS running on 1610 and the voice doesnt sound too bad but they do run fire safety spots for the fire dept with music in the background and they sound like crap!
Yes, the McMartins are simple boxes and should not be difficult to repair. If you need any parts or assistance, call Charlie Goodrich http://www.goodrichenterprises.com
He should be able to help. I agree about the TIS transmitters, they are very narrow bandwidth, not sure if there's settings to adjust this.
He should be able to help. I agree about the TIS transmitters, they are very narrow bandwidth, not sure if there's settings to adjust this.
level42 said:Yes, the McMartins are simple boxes and should not be difficult to repair. If you need any parts or assistance, call Charlie Goodrich http://www.goodrichenterprises.com
He should be able to help. I agree about the TIS transmitters, they are very narrow bandwidth, not sure if there's settings to adjust this.
Charlie helped me put a McMartin BA2.5 back together. It's being driven by an Orban 9100. I have to say, it's a nice sounding box. He's also helped me with parts on a Bauer 707. He's a class act.
I'd go for the BE or even a Nautel (1K is their lowest power). Bernie's solid state AM rigs aren't exactly great ya know... Been there done that...
The Nautel Jazz is frequency agile (really- not like Harris). I instal Nautels and never have to work on them. Went in to Crawfordsville Indiana looking for the AM transmitter and saw 5 rack units of nothing (the old file cabinet unit) and asked about it. It just runs. I cleaned the air filter. End of story. Same thing in North Vernon Indiana. 10 grand.
If LPB answers a phone (and that's a crap shoot) don't try it. The salesman wouldn't even offer to explain how to buy a crystal for the older units. (We don't know nuthin bout those). Tech support? Don't think it exists. I have an older Continental with 4-400's 1 kw sitting at the site looking for a home. They still support old crap because it still runs and runs and runs.
BE is also an option. Find one used? why? They are still in use. They built it well.
With bandwidth being no concern most Icom Ham units will work in the broadcast band with an online mod. Can't say that I would do it as they aren't type accepted there. This is about what you will get with some of what is out there.
If LPB answers a phone (and that's a crap shoot) don't try it. The salesman wouldn't even offer to explain how to buy a crystal for the older units. (We don't know nuthin bout those). Tech support? Don't think it exists. I have an older Continental with 4-400's 1 kw sitting at the site looking for a home. They still support old crap because it still runs and runs and runs.
BE is also an option. Find one used? why? They are still in use. They built it well.
With bandwidth being no concern most Icom Ham units will work in the broadcast band with an online mod. Can't say that I would do it as they aren't type accepted there. This is about what you will get with some of what is out there.
Chief.. If you hear of anything in the used area for a fair price (I prefer a smaller unit for space) let me know.. You can tag on a finders fee...
Thanks.. From "Skipper".. [email protected]
Thanks.. From "Skipper".. [email protected]
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