Broadcasting (July - Dec 1939)

CONSTRUCTION has been completed at W2XQR,. New York, frequency modulated station of John V. L. Hogan, who was granted a construction permit for such a station to operate on 43.2 megacycles with 1,000 watts. Radio Engineering Laboratories supplied the transmitter, which is located in the transmitter building of WQXR, New York, in Long Island City. Mr. Hogan personally directed the installation. WQXR, of which Mr. Hogan is chief owner, has been granted an increase from 1,000 to 5,000 watts, and plans are now being drawn for a new transmitter, expected to go into operation early next year. WIP, Philadelphia, has applied to the FCC for authority to erect a new 1 kw. frequency modulation transmitter on 43.3 mc. Benedict Gimbel Jr., manager, announced that it is planned to carry regular WIP programs simultaneously on the station. He said $30,000 will be expended on the experiment, which will be under the direction of Clifford C. Harris, technical supervisor. THE FCC on Oct. 11 approved three Amperex transmitting tubes for use in final stages of commercial broadcast transmitters. Types 892-R and 343-A have high-level modulation power ratings of 5,000 watts ; low level modulation ratings of 2,500 watts. Type 342A has high level modulation rating of 10,000 watts ; low level modulation rating of 8,500 watts. They are manufactured by Amperex Electronic Products, Brooklyn. ALLIED RECORDING PRODUCTS Co., manufacturers of recording machines and accessories, on Nov. 1 combined its offices and factory at 21-09 43rd Ave., Long Island. N. Y. Previously located at 126 W. 46 St., New York, for the past several months it has maintained its manufacturing plant at the Long Island City address. I. H. Goldman is president of the firm. UNIVERSAL MICROPHONE Co., Inglewood, Cal.. is manufacturing a new roller bracket as an in-and-out holder for handi-mikes, handsets and other types of small microphones. The device is chrome plated, with the spring of bronze and roller of rubber. WKY, Oklahoma City, is renovating its transmitter building and landscaping the transmitter grounds, under supervision of Chief Engineer Jack Lovell. WESTERN ELECTRIC equipment and a Blaw-Knox radiator have been ordered for the new KWFC. Hot Springs, Ark., authorized last July to operate with 100 watts night and 250 day on 1310 kc. according to Howard Shuman, who will be manager. Construction has been delayed by litigation, but it is hoped to have the station operating by Jan. 1. KVOO, Tulsa, Okla., has purchased a new Gates sound effects cabinet, including three turntables, four pickups and mixers, with 200-ohm input and tone control. KPAC, Port Arthur, Tex., is working a full crew overtime in an effort to complete installation of its new RCA high fidelity transmitter by Nov. 15. Workmen assembling the new directional antenna towers recently were forced to cease work for two days by high winds, but the entire new installation is expected to be completed in time for fulltime operation Dee. 3. WBIG, Greensboro, N. C, held open house Nov. 6-12 to celebrate dedication of its new 5 kw. Western Electric transmitter. The new plant, together with a 360-foot Blaw-Knox vertical radiator, has been installed on Guilford Battleground Boulevard. MOBILE UNIT of tlio New Zealand Commercial Broadcasting Service — 5ZB — is this specially reconstructed railway coach which, equipped with a 250-watt transmitter and programming and business facilities, recently completed a 2,000-m.ile tour of the north island of New Zealand. Conceived by Beaumont T. Sheil, advertising manager of the service, the railway studio originated special programs all through its tour, which was in charge of Ian Mackay. Also included in the tour party were Doug Laurenson, as sales representative, and David Joseph, special engineer. WOI, Iowa State College station at Ames, authorized by the FCC to operate with 1,000 watts night and 5.000 day, has put in operation a new RCA DX-5 transmitter, RCA speech input equipment and a 400-foot Truscon tower. The station, which observes its 19th anniversary Nov. 21, also has completed new studios, acoustically treated by Johns-Manville. J. P. CARSON. Los Angeles sales manager of Graybar Electric Co. on Nov. 1 was promoted to district manager, with headquarters in San Francisco. He succeeds Alfred H. Nicoll, who has assumed new duties with the concern in New York, W. E. Guy. Hammond. Ind., branch manager of the concern, is now Los Angeles sales manager. AN RCA 250-watt transmitter, Truscon tower. Gates remote amplifiers, Collins console, Fairchild turntables. WE reproducers and Shure microphones have been ordered for the new WHKY, Hickory. N. C, now being constructed. General manager will be .T. E. Coad, and chief engineer E. S. Long. E. F. JOHNSON Co., Waseca, Minn., has published catalog No. 966 titled Radio Transmuting Equipment, containing complete descriptions and prices of .Johnson condensers, inductors, r. f. chokes, "Q" beam, antenna wire, insulators and other transmitting accessories. CKAC. Montreal, has purchased an RCA 5 kw. transmitter, which is expected to be operating about Feb. 1.5. 1940. The new transmitter is part of the CKAC modernizing program which also has included renovation of studios by Johns-Manville Co. LIMITED strictly to broadcasters interested in television is the bulletin, DuMont Television Transmitting Equipment, issued by Allen B. DuMont Labs., Passaic. N. -J. It deals with essential studio, transmitting and receiving equipment, including direct pickup camera, film pickup camera, studio lighting, special film projector, studio sound and other apparatus. Copy of the bulletin is offered any broadcaster writing on his business letterhead. CHARLES K. MARSHALL, formerly western representative of Collins Radio Co., has formed his own Los Angeles organization, specializing in precision radio equipment. He is headquartered at 606 N. San Vicente Blvd. CHARLES MICHELSON. New York transcription firm, has announced two models of the new Michelson Porto Playback, AC and AC-DC. The portable transcription reproducer, weighing under 20 pounds, is fitted in a light weight airplane luggage case, and incorporates a 6-inch dynamic speaker, balanced magnetic pickup, constant speed 33 1/3 rpm air cooled motor, three tube matched amplifier system and tone and volume control. COLLINS RADIO Co., Cedar Rapids, la., has issued a bulletin describing the new Collins 12-Z remote amplifier. WBNX, New York, has applied to the New Jersey Public Utilities Commission for permission to move its transmitter from Cliffside, N. J., to Carlstadt, N. J. The new location would permit programs to be heard over double the number of potential receiving sets, according to H. L. Wilson, consulting engineer for the stations. KFSG, Los Angeles, has installed a new 250-foot Wincharger vertical radiator, jointly used with KRKD, that city. Construction, supervised by Myron Kluge and AVillis O. Freitag, chief engineers, respectively, of KFSG and KRKD, was handled by Marlin Electric Co., Los Angeles, which also built and installed a 300 mm. airway beacon light and a 5 kc. antenna tuning unit. THE KSFO engineering department, San Francisco, recently completed a pack transmitter to cover remote broadcasts. The transmitter is specially designed, has a talk-back feature and extension rod aerial, all neatly boxed in airplane-luggage cases. Maximum Relay Power Is Increased to 100 w. TO PROVIDE a more dependable service by relay broadcast stations, the FCC Nov. 7 announced amendment of its rules [Section 4.25(b).] whereby such stations will be permitted to use power up to 100 watts on specified groups of relay channels. Heretofore the maximum power permitted has been 25 watts. The rule, as amended, reads: Section 4.25(b) of Rules other than Broadcast, was revised to read as follows : "A relay broadcast station assigned frequencies in Groups D, E, F and G will not be authorized to install equipment or licensed for an output power in excess of 100 watts ; provided that before using any frequency in these groups with a power in excess of 25 watts, tests shall be made by the licensee to insure that no objectionable interference will result to the service of any government station, and provided, further, that if the use of any frequency may cause interference then the power shall be reduced to 25 watts or another frequency in the licensed group selected which will not cause objectionable interference." Ballot at RCA Plant NATIONAL Labor Relations Board on Oct. 31 ordered a secret ballot election, to be held within 30 days, among production, model making, engineering and office service employes of RCA Mfg. Co. at the Camden, N. J., plant to determine the employes' choice of representation in collective bargaining by either International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, affiliated with AFL, or United Electrical Radio & Machine Workers of America, CIO union, or by neither. rORHlGHrREQUENCY CRYSTAL CONTROL Bliley High Frequency Qucxrtz Crystal Units are designed to provide accurate dependable frequency control under the adverse operating conditions encountered with mobile and portable transmitters. Both the rugged type M02 holder and the compact M03 temperature controlled moimting are widely employed for U.H.F. services where reliability counts. Catalog G-11 contains complete information on these and other Bliley Crystal Units for frequencies from 20 kc. to 30 mc. Write for your copy. BLILEY ELECTRIC COMPANY UNION STATION BUILDIN6 ERIE, PA. BROADCASTING • Broadcast Advertising November 15, 1939 • Page 87