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KIRO AM Transmitter site dedication 1941

X

xmtrland

I would say this is something few remember seeing.

Here is what looks like a newspaper insert for the 50,000 watt power increase for KIRO June 29, 1941. There are six pages an well worth the look for the ads, and the pictures. Just a snapshot of that day. Interesting to see the Schoenfelds' ad, and Graybar ad because they are still around. Graybar actually sold KIRO the transmitter package (including Phasor and audio rack) for $245,100.

There are six pages total and each one worth the look.

http://vashonradio.com/towertour/images/kiro/kiro1941-page1_72.pdf
http://vashonradio.com/towertour/images/kiro/kiro1941-page2inside_lr.pdf
http://vashonradio.com/towertour/images/kiro/kiro1941-page3lr.pdf
http://vashonradio.com/towertour/images/kiro/kiro1941-page4lr.pdf
http://vashonradio.com/towertour/images/kiro/kiro1941-page5lr.pdf
http://vashonradio.com/towertour/images/kiro/kiro1941-page6lr.pdf
 
xmtrland said:
I would say this is something few remember seeing.

Here is what looks like a newspaper insert for the 50,000 watt power increase for KIRO June 29, 1941. There are six pages an well worth the look for the ads, and the pictures. Just a snapshot of that day. Interesting to see the Schoenfelds' ad, and Graybar ad because they are still around. Graybar actually sold KIRO the transmitter package (including Phasor and audio rack) for $245,100.

There are six pages total and each one worth the look.

http://vashonradio.com/towertour/images/kiro/kiro1941-page1_72.pdf
http://vashonradio.com/towertour/images/kiro/kiro1941-page2inside_lr.pdf
http://vashonradio.com/towertour/images/kiro/kiro1941-page3lr.pdf
http://vashonradio.com/towertour/images/kiro/kiro1941-page4lr.pdf
http://vashonradio.com/towertour/images/kiro/kiro1941-page5lr.pdf
http://vashonradio.com/towertour/images/kiro/kiro1941-page6lr.pdf
Click to expand...

WOW.

This was a BIG thing back in the day. An AM station going 50,000 watts today is barely mentioned, to say nothing of even welcomed - ask Mr. Skotdal - outside of boards like these......
 
Nice to see the other stations in town actually paying a little advertising to congratulate KIRO. Of course, several were in the works for their own power increases, but the kibosh was put on that when world events interceded a few months later. Curious if anybody knows...did KIRO stay at 50kw for the length of the war, or were they power rationed for the war effort?
 
*All* stations were power-rationed during the war. There was a 1dB across-the-board power reduction -- the FCC's collected archive documents on ftp://ftp.fcc.gov/pub/Bureaus/Mass_Media/Databases/documents_collection/_available_documents_list.html mention it in the summary of their 1942 annual report, but I can't find it in that report. (I suspect the summary is defective & it's in a later report)

In general, new stations and technical upgrades for existing stations were frozen during the war. Exceptions were made in a few cases where the new service was felt important for the war effort. Spare parts for existing stations were difficult to find. (for that matter, so were engineers to install them!) At least one station, in New Jersey, went permanently off the air during the war, when their facility burned down & they were unable to obtain replacement equipment.
 
1db power reduction would have put KIRO at about 39,710 watts, when you run 50kw going to 40kw still gives you a pretty strong signal. I know that KIRO was a big deal during the war because they could reach Alaska at night. The 50kw transmitter was put on the air just months before Pearl harbor was hit in December.

When the transmitter was installed it had an option to run just the driver, without the final 50kw amp, into the antenna. The driver put out 5kw. KIRO also had a 1240khz crystal installed for Conelrad, but Conelrad was established in 1951.

I wish I would have talked to Bill Ruter more before his passing.
 
Perhaps tangential to this discussion, but interesting nonetheless: If you click on the last item on this page of news broadcasts from December 7, 1941, you will hear a 3:41 recording of KIRO signing off at 7 pm PST that day. http://library.umkc.edu/spec-col/ww2/pearlharbor/radio.htm "And we'll be back, ladies and gentlemen, with information when ordered by the United States Army Interceptor Command here in Seattle."
 
Thank you so much for posting this. It reminds us of a simpler time when radio was really (no pun intended) the king of communication.
 
Here is some trivia for you Hi-Fi Folks take a look at the PDF page below...
http://vashonradio.com/towertour/images/kiro/kirobidpg1.pdf
Above is a PDF of page 1 of the original transmitter bid from Graybar for that 50KW rig. On that page below the 3 listed items, are two paragraphs with a name. What company did that person start start.

No real prize but it lends a little history to the KIRO transmitter plant built in 1941.
 
Stupid me, what was I thinking, someone named Weldon was Continental...It must be McIntoish audio of which I still have a tuner and an amp from the early 70's
 
Yes it was McIntoish. He started out in Bell Labs with William Doherty working on high power transmitters (like the one KIRO bought in 1941). Then he went to work for Graybar as a sales consultant. He did some radio engineering work, where he started to build quality audio amps and recivers for radio stations. Then he started his own Hi-Fi Line under his name, McIntosh.

It gives you a little background on McIntosh, the guy really did know his stuff. He had his hand in the technical plan for KIRO through working with Graybar. I don't think he ever came out here when it was built but he was consulted and followed the consruction.
 
xmtrland said:
Yes it was McIntoish. He started out in Bell Labs with William Doherty working on high power transmitters (like the one KIRO bought in 1941). Then he went to work for Graybar as a sales consultant. He did some radio engineering work, where he started to build quality audio amps and recivers for radio stations. Then he started his own Hi-Fi Line under his name, McIntosh.

It gives you a little background on McIntosh, the guy really did know his stuff. He had his hand in the technical plan for KIRO through working with Graybar. I don't think he ever came out here when it was built but he was consulted and followed the consruction.
Click to expand...

McIntosh, right along with Carver made some of the VERY BEST FM tuners you could buy back in the day. Expensive as hell - even in today's prices. But WORTH it.......
 
It should also be noted that at the time Jim Hatfeild was the chief engineer at KIRO (1941), and he contributed greatly to Seattle radio. And of course had a son, Jim Hatfeild jr. who with Ben Dawson started an engineering consulting firm, Hatfeild and Dawson. You can see a picture of Jim Hatfield sr. on page 4 of the KIRO PI Insert
http://vashonradio.com/towertour/images/kiro/kiro1941-page4lr.pdf

Those that know Jim Hatfield jr. will instantly see the Father Son resemblance.
 
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