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[Amps] Modern AM Broadcast Transmitters

To: <amps@contesting.com>
Subject: [Amps] Modern AM Broadcast Transmitters
From: Donald Fox via Amps <amps@contesting.com>
Reply-to: Donald Fox <taurusshoguy@yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 18 Dec 2016 14:41:40 +0000 (UTC)
List-post: <amps@contesting.com">mailto:amps@contesting.com>
Gents:
If I understand what is being said correctly, you are describing a different 
way of modulating an AM carrier which in appearance sounds like it would look 
more like am FM carrier on an analog meter.
The old school way of running the carrier at 25%, and then allowing modulation 
to swing up to the 100% level at full power is what I learned as a young ham.

I am guessing that the new technology allows the same goals to be accomplished 
without the need for all of the "heavy iron", ie modulation transformers needed 
back in the day.
Stepping back into history a moment, I think of the massive size of the iron 
required to run the much fabled and storied WLW 500 KW system back in it's 
heyday. I am lucky to live about a half an hour from Mason, Ohio, and can 
recall well what the nearby Voice of America site with its now gone 625 acre 
antenna farm with Rhombics galore looked like.

So, if WLW ran the "old school" way of modulation, and had at one time an 
actual 500 KW carrier, would their meters have stood at 500 kw steady, or hung 
around 125 KW with 0 modulation and then swung up to 500 from there?
I was under the impression they ran a full 500 KW carrier. Wrapping one's mind 
around a constant carrier at 100 or 200 KW is a bit mind blowing, never mind 
500 KW compared to what we as hams are used to.

For those here who may have not read up on the history of WLW, there is a great 
amount of reading here on the 'net. It is said that WLW was used to relay coded 
messages to our troops abroad during WW2. I also understand that Hitler himself 
referenced it during one of his many radio addresses, and had no kind words to 
say about how it was helping out countries efforts to defeat him!
I find that pretty darned fascinating!!!!!!!!

Don    N8ECH
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