A history of WMPT Radio South Williamsport Pa, as well as radio in the Williamsport Marketplace. In addition a history of my time behind the microphone.

Monday, May 03, 2010

The Technical Side of My Early Radio Days Part 1.

I got thinking today, on thing I never have really talked about was some of the equipment I worked with over the years. While this may not be of great interest to a lot of people, I am sure those people I worked with will sometimes fondly remember the trials and tribulations of working with equipment that was just one more fire away from the scrap pile. I will also salute the intrepid engineers who kept it running against all odds.

Our first stop will be WLYC AM & FM, Williamsport, Pa:

(Chief Engineer Jim Hubbard) (later John Ellis)

My first employment in radio was here. For the most part the on air equipment was pretty good. The main control room has a Gates Dulalux console (board) that you can see on my website www.kellywattsclassreunion.com. This was an 8 channel board, capable of airing two separate programs at once, which quite often happened at WLYC and at WMPT. This was a tubed console, and put out a lot of heat, the power supply was remotely mounted in the equipment rack and was prone to tube socked failure, due to heat. The board had a variety of switching combinations for remote starts and inputs as well as an intercom system that you could use to the newsroom, etc if it was set up. This “Talkback” system could be used when you did a remote using a leased dedicated telephone line. All in all it was a pretty well designed console, with the exception of the power supply. Most of the Dulalux Boards were in service for over 20 years untill stereo and lack of tubes made them obsolete. However I did work with one that had limited modifications for Stereo at WZKZ (KZ 106) In Corning in the late 1980's.

Also in WLYC's control room when I started there in 1964 were 2 - 16” 3 speed Gates Turntables with two different tone arms,(one for 33 & 45 RPM records, the other for 78 RPM records.) 3 Ampex 601 reel to reel rack mounted tape recorders (remote start) and one Magnacorder PT 6 to reel, also remote start. Around the time I arrived the station was changing over to broadcast carts and had purchased a dual deck Gates cart machine. The top deck also recorded so it was not uncommon for you to record commercials while you were on the air, using the “B” side of the console. This unit made a VERY loud THUMP when you started it as the pinch roller flew up. After a while you learned to turn off the mic BEFORE you hit start. It was a pretty rugged machine and was still in use in 1972-74 in WLYC's news room and was still there when I left in 1974. In addition there was a super patch panel system with pads and coils for level and matching control of the incoming lines. EBS monitoring was with a Gates EBS monitor, it sounded a LOUD bell when the EBS station cut the carrier for more than 2 seconds, which was procedure in those days. When you left at night you had to remember to cancel the automatic function or the bell would continue to ring when the station you monitored signed off.

Legal monitoring was with a Gates(AM) and RCA(FM) frequency and modulation monitor and a Gates transmitter controller that ran both the remote AM & FM transmitters on top of Bald Eagle Mountain. Interesting to note, in those days you were required to take transmitter reading every 1/2 hour and at sign off and sign on or any changes in operation. Once a week Jim would head to the top of Bald Eagle and we would calibrate the meters as required by the F.C.C.

WLYC AM was a daytimer on 1050 KC with 1,000 watts from a Gates transmitter. WLYC FM was 3,800 watts from a RCA 1,000 watt transmitter and a multiple bay antenna system. Interestingly enough WLYC FM although licensed for full time operation was only on the air from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. In the summer months when WLYC AM was on the air programming would split at 7:00 PM with a fellow named Nick Green hosting the classical music show on the FM each night from 7:00 to 10:00 PM. Nick would work from the small production studio directly in front of the Main Control Room. BTW, you had to walk thru production to get to the control room. The production studio had an very old, I assume original equipment from sign on, RCA 4 channel board, with two RCA turntables and another Ampex 601, that could also be controlled from the AM control room. Mic's in the station were quite an assortment with a EV general purpose mic on a ridged pipe frame mount in the control room, while the news booth has a EV 664 mic, and two RCA model 44 mics in the “big” studio. One additional piece of equipment that WLYC had was what we called the “jukebox.” This unit, marketed by Gates and built by Seeburg Juke Box Company, held a large number (100) of 45 RPM records and could be programed by a series of switches in the machine to play one or both sides or skip the record completely. I liked this unit especially when you were working a long airshift and had to make a bathroom run. The downside was that records would stick or skip. The unit had a remote start and stop in the control room. During the period from December 1964 to February 1966 that I worked there the unit got very little use. One of my jobs was to change the
45's every month or so and post a list of what record was in what slot.

I don't remember a lot of equipment failures during this period of time, with the exception of the FM frequency monitor who occasionally throw a fit with the deviation meter swinging full scale. In the winter, icing on the FM antenna was a problem so you had to remember to turn on the antenna heaters or you would be off the air due to ice buildup. When the transmitter and antenna system was replaced in 1973, automatic heaters were installed that saved a LOT of headaches.

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