WLW's 500,000 Watt Transmitter

Tour of the historic WLW AM monster broadcast transmitter facility located in Mason Ohio. WLW has kept a major piece of broadcasting history alive by keeping much of the old high power transmitter intact. Recorded while at Hamvention, Dayton OH, in 2013
Back in 1932 WLW increased their power from 50,000 watts to 500,000 watts. They were the only AM broadcasting station in America ever to operate at 500,000 watts. Much of the old transmitter still exists. It is really a high power amplifier with a high level modulator (360,000 watts). The amplifier was driven from their existing 50,000 watt Western Electric transmitter. The system used 20 100,000 watts tubes ($1,600 each in 1932) that required water cooling that used a cooling pond located outside the station. Tons, and tons, of hardware was required to achieve the 10 dB gain.
According to WIKI: But Crosley still wasn't satisfied. In 1933 he obtained a construction permit from the Federal Radio Commission for a 500 kilowatt superstation, and he spent some $500,000 (at least $17 million in 2010 dollars using a CPI conversion factor of 0.13[9]) building the transmitter and antenna.
Before the 500 KW went on the air, WLW installed a Blaw Knox vertical radiator, or as we say today a vertical antenna. Back in those days a horizontal wire flat top antenna supported by two towers was common. Photos in the video show the impressive antenna farm at WLW.
The engineering was state of the art pushing the 1930s technology to achieve 500,000 watts. Operating the transmitter required a team of many engineers to bring it to life and control it while it was on the air. A simple ON-OFF switch did not exist!
Enjoy the tour of the facility and the history of this high power station. Thanks to Jay, Geoff, and Ted of WLW for hosting the tour.
I will soon post another video the covers the collection of 50,000 watt transmitters that are also in the same building.
To learn more about this transmitter's history, please visit these sites.
Randy
RADIOWORLD article about this video
www.radioworld.com/article/wlw...
WLW Archive Files
www.arizona-am.net/WLW/index.html
Jim Hawkin's WLW page:
hawkins.pair.com/wlw.shtml
History of WLW, Cincinnati:
jeff560.tripod.com/wlw.html
WLW's Big Arse Transmitter:
www.ominous-valve.com/wlw.html
Wikipedia:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WLW
WLW - A "Super" Station Tour:
www.oldradio.com/archives/stat...
Not Just a Sound: the Story of WLW:
www.broadcasting101.ws/wlw-1.htm

[@paladin0654]

Should be declared a National Historic Site.

[@BixLives32]

YES. Americans have a bad habit of ignoring their great heritage. E.g., how many people listen to Jazz? Jazz and baseball are probably our only truly indigenous cultures. Alas, radio is something that Americans were best at. We even beat the Germans to effective radar.

[@ctechbob]

@@BixLives32 Sadly, from the looks of the latest Google Earth imagery, the house is gone and they're putting a commercial development on the site.

[@Lion_McLionhead]

84 lightyears from here is an alien listening to a very loud, clear Ohio talk show.

[@tomk4484]

And the alien communication commission is probably all unbent about how the signal is overpowering their local stations!

[@clayz1]

English is the galactic language and we don’t even know it.

[@michaelcap9550]

As A result, Gary Burbank is an intergalactic star DJ.

[@Alexagrigorieff]

The aliens’ receiver needs at least KT of energy to detect presence of signal, where K is the Boltzmann’s constant equal to 1.38E-23 J/K, and T is the equivalent noise temperature of the receiver. For the receiver with 10K noise temperature, it needs at least 1.38E-22 J per bit received. Suppose the aliens have an antenna as big as 1 km across, say it’s 1 km^2. Suppose we ignore atmospheric radio noise, too. 1 light year is 9.461E12 km, 84 ly is 7.95E14 At a distance of 84 light year, and a non-directional emitter, such 1 sq.km antenna will be getting 1.3E-31 of the total emission power. Thus, our receiver would be able to detect a signal of known shape if its energy was about 1 GJ. This is *ONE GIGA JOULE* per single bit of information to transmit at 84 ly distance. At the transmitter power 500 kW, it will transmit one bit per 2000 seconds. This also means, the minimum frequency of detectable amplitude modulation would be 0.00025 Hz at this power.

[@rbmwiv]

ClayZ it sure is in every sci-fi movie. Lol

[@scotty3034]

Stuff like this is the reason I’m addicted to KZbin.

[@jeromewysocki8809]

Mike Patton , me, too.

[@andrewdfw7389]

Ain't THAT the truth!

[@ctwentysevenj6531]

Yes I love these type of documentaries. Always had an interest in old radios.

[@MrBen527]

No kidding!

[@scottgeorge4760]

I built my own shortwave antenna and I collect older radios . I do enjoy watching old NOVA documentaries on P.B.S. television , on KZbin

[@hobo1452]

I was stationed at England AFB in Alexandria LA in 1971. My home state at the time was Ohio. One night a bunch of us were sitting in the parking lot of the barracks drinking beers and listening to my car radio. The local radio stations had shut down for the night so I started tuning around for something else to listen to. Finally found a station coming in fairly well, and was astonished when they gave their call sign as WLW, a station I listened to all the time before my service days!

[@duanetrivett750]

That was a good story RC being that far from home and stumbleing across you home station. Thanks for the story my friend.73

[@thetreblerebel]

It was so expensive, people today are scared to scrap it. It's a piece of broadcast history. Amazing

[@joe6096]

How the hell WOULD you scrap that? That one oil bath transformer - what did he say, it weighs 20,000 POUNDS????? That would cripple an industrial crane!

[@BIGBADWOOD]

Powel Crosley Jr. a man ahead of his time ! 😀

[@brucewinningham4959]

​@@BIGBADWOOD-- I wonder if this was the same Crosley that built Crosley Radios? And cars? Wasn't there a Crosley brand of cars back in the day?

[@kerbygator]

I grew up in Chicago back in the 60's and moved to Cincinnati in the 90's. I drove up to visit back home in the Chicago area and I had the am radio tuned to WLW and i shit you not, the station was coming in no problem while sitting in my parents driveway over 300 miles away. Gary Burbank was the DJ.

[@glennso47]

Bob Kerbs Anyone there remember Wally Philips. For years he broadcasted over WGN Chicago. I understand he was on WLW at one time?

[@kerbygator]

Glenn Lego I do remember him.

[@timothybarney7257]

As a kid growing up in Pennsylvania about 90 miles east of Pittsburgh in the late 80s, I used to be able to pick up WLS-AM out of Chicago at night when the conditions were right with an old Philco console-style receiver.

[@kerbygator]

Timothy Barney I won a Doobie Brothers album and T - shirt from WLS. 15th caller on the Larry Lujak show.The Stampede Album. It was 1975 and I was 15.

[@rev.randall2292]

I would say a system of that magnitude should carry that distance just fine. Atmospheric conditions , and lay of the land to some degree cause different effects as well. Frequency , waves , power , distance , set ups just fascinate me.

[@globalswgetter]

Those daring young men and their modulating machines! It always blows my mind when I see the scale to which these pioneers rose so long ago. Thanks for this great history.

[@K7AGE]

Great!

[@BIGBADWOOD]

Powel Crosley Jr. a man ahead of his time ! 😀

[@user-jt5vm3mi1w]

sexist

[@chuckgudgel1894]

ANYTHING METAL NEARBY HAD A TON OF RF.

[@user-bo8eq7ki5w]

Очень интересно ! ))) Иногда я понимал английскую речь в радиотехнических терминах. 73 !

[@paulsullivan6392]

My father was on the air at WLW in those days when it was known as "The Nation's Station." Among many other places in the world his broadcasts were heard regularly in Columbia, South America. (Time Magazine Letters May 11, 1936)

[@red_ford23]

Nice, Sullivan

[@LimonFox]

colOmbia.

[@paulsullivan6392]

@@LimonFox I have spelled it in my posting the way it was spelled in the reader's letter. It was signed W. E. Hayden, Jr. Santa Maria Columbia. Thanks for the correction.

[@jamesdavis5096]

cool, any recording?

[@BIGBADWOOD]

Powel Crosley Jr. a man ahead of his time ! 😀

[@K7AGE]

This was such an amazing project back in the 30s. Average age of the design engineer was 27. Think about all the new stuff that had to be researched and engineered for this transmitter, and by several different companies. I wished that there were some old news reel movies around that showed this transmitter in operation.

[@ctwentysevenj6531]

These electrical engineers must have been talented young fellows.

[@alxf66]

Thank you for sharing this.

Too bad the motives of this whole mechanism were evil (sell hollywood and drug vices). Even the wattage used was extremely harmful to those around the station and of course all who worked there.

[@rupe53]

@@ctwentysevenj6531 ... maybe their kids went on to design high powered audio systems for rock festivals?

[@ctwentysevenj6531]

@@rupe53 or designing integrated circuits say for Intel or Texas Instruments.

[@ansientwun]

I worked in Mason 2011-12 and twice walked the sacred grounds of WLW. I was never able to get there during tour hours. This video truly made my day. I'm taking my Tech and General tests next week. It was fascinating to see the radio components I've been studying built to such a scale for 500kW. My sincere thanks to the HAM's and employees that put this together. A great piece of Americana preserved.

[@paulloveless4122]

Did you get your license!?

[@ScottALanter]

I was in that old transmitter building about 30+ years ago with a shared engineer who worked for WLW and a station I worked for at the time. I was absolutely fascinated to listen as he explained how the system operated. 30+ years later, I'm still just as fascinated.

[@abysspegasusgaming]

Still amazing that when it was at full 500 KW operating power back during WWII, that the station was heard clear around the world, nick naming it "Whole Lotta Watts!" and hated by Hitler himself since the troops could get information about what's going on with the war during that time period.

[@WilliamHamilton29464]

Jennifer lopez

[@matthewcooper3535]

@@WilliamHamilton29464 HANIFER LOPEE .......taco 🌮 burrito, taco 🌮 , taco, taco 🌮

[@twngohaombre5602]

@@matthewcooper3535 taco flavored kisses

[@amommamust]

I grew up listening to WSAI playing rock n roll in the 60's. Fun history!

[@patrickmurphy8222]

I remember that station when I grew up in the Dayton suburbs. Wasn't it a top 40 station in the seventies?

[@EricNTammy304]

As a child I was utterly fascinated in this Gigantic tower and the stories my Dad told me of how fence post knobs in Mason would vibrate with the audio. To be able 30 years later to watch this awesome video, showing how much went into broadcasting through it is amazing beyond words! Thank you!

[@michaelmitchell1286]

Thrill Biscuit My dad live in highland county , Ohio he hear WLW on fence post there too

[@amandalong5916]

Is this true? I live about a mile from the tower and now I'm curious and want to go see!

[@renewii]

@@amandalong5916 Yes it is true! Powerful AM radio stations could interfere in phones too

[@iang-dub3344]

Near by residents at the time not only reported power fluctuations during peak modulation, but also vibrating coming from their bed springs! Thanks for the video!

[@kenrickeason]

Seriously?!

[@Rocketman88002]

@Ian G-Dub, Lol The bed springs were loosely coupled inductors in the modulator circuits!

[@watchout361]

ANY BUZZING IN THE EARS?

[@kennethwalker4551]

I remember when I moved to Tulsa,Oklahoma our bed springs got the KVOO radio station and if you picked up a pay phone receiver you got KVOO loud and clear.

[@BetamaxFlippy]

@@c2n10 AM doesn't need to be demodulated like FM, if strong enough it can still interfere and while you won't ear the carrier frequency the broadcast audio is what came through, look at the history of radio and you'll understand!

[@davefarr4596]

Wow! I am blown away. I didn’t realize a radio station was that complex. Every thing was made in the United States back then. Thank you very much for posting this . This is why i cant get my chores done. So many interesting things to see and learn.

[@BIGBADWOOD]

Powel Crosley Jr. a man ahead of his time ! 😀

[@met9072]

Curious as to the KW demand and kWh this used monthly

[@miguelmouta5372]

Built in US for the communists elites all over the planet, today we see.

[@nakayle]

Excellent tour. Wish so much hadn't been dissembled. It was an amazing accomplishment for the 1930s.

[@ikonix360]

Nathan Kayle too bad it couldn't be put back online. Not just because of the 50KW limit but also because of as one website put it those touch and you die knife switches. So much would have to be updated to current standards that it wouldn't be worth it.

[@joeschizoid7762]

I'm surprised modern conspiracy theorists aren't insisting the transmitter had to have been built by extraterrestrials.

[@scotty3034]

Hell, it would be an amazing accomplishment today.

[@ctwentysevenj6531]

Not only if it was intact, but still operating.

[@TempoDrift1480]

@@ikonix360 Yeah that was a time when one would assume the responsibility of ones actions.

[@Dave-cv1th]

As a kid in northern Ohio, we can only be grateful for our pioneers in broadcasting. We found a world of music and sports and intelligent talk on our local stations. As a young Beatles fan, I used to hear "Top Of the Pops" from London on Sunday nights on shortwave. Radio meant a lot to me, growing up!

[@hokepoke3540]

And I thought the first 1KW amp I built was hard to build. I remember listening to this station all the way out in New Mexico in the 1950's and early 60's. Thank you for some fine memories. N5UEB

[@ARichardP]

Fascinating. As a childhood DXer in the early and mid-1970s I would often tune into WLW at night from Iowa and sometimes tried to see how early I could hear it. I think in the winter sometimes it could be picked up in Eastern Iowa (about 450 miles away) all day with a signal booster. My dad used to tell a story about WLW back when it was 500,000 watts that people could pick it up in their dental work.

[@BritishBeachcomber]

The Droitwich Transmitter in England also runs at 500kW and has been in service since 1934.

[@MrSparks54]

In my previous life as a broadcast engineer I briefly worked at KUSW shortwave station in SLC Utah back in the late 80s before it was unceremoniously sold to KTBN. The transmitter was a 100 KW Harris SW100 fed to a TCI log periodic curtain antenna pointed 70° towards Europe. The antenna gain put the ERP at around 1.2 MW. We got lots of signal reports from Europe of course but also got a bunch from down under off the back side of the antenna. The transmitter and studio were in the same building and upon firing it up for the first time, RF sparks flew around the steel girders in the TX room, scaring the crap out of everyone. A few rolls of heavy bonding straps later the RF sparking was cured but RF was getting into everything from the telephones to mic inputs. A few dozen RF chokes later and shielding everything, the station was ready to go into service. Meanwhile, engineers at what was (at the time) Hercules Aerospace across the street were freaking out that that much ERP could ignite their rocket motors. So engineers from Harris, TCI met with Hercules to assure them their rocket motors were safe even though the signal went right over the top of their facility at a fairly low takeoff angle. What a short but fun ride that was.

[@plhebel1]

great story.

[@charleskadletc2431]

Awesome history, my dad got me into radio, by listening to WLW. I went into shortwave radio as a hobby and worked up to radio broadcasting in college now, to learn stuff how it all works. Now im a DJ at a community station.

[@eurokid83]

This old radio gear is so cool, I have some old test gear and radios that use vacuum tubes. I don't know what it is about vacuum tubes but they're very fascinating to me. Thanks for sharing this video.

[@williamjones3871]

The Western Electric transmitter couldn't be beat. It was awesome in its own right.

[@plhebel1]

Anything built back then from leaders in whatever they produced was the best , It must have dawned on the board of directors of these companies if they didn't cheapen up the products they would never sell a replacement unit to the consumers because the old one still works like new. I remember my father told me he bought a circular saw make by skil after marrying my mom . He built their first home and that's why he needed it. He and my five brothers used that saw and it was handed down to a brother after he passed away in his 80's. Now that' quality,, same with a bunch of thing I remember the folks got as newly weds and used all their lives.

[@WAQWBrentwood]

Wow! That thing is awesome. Half of my family worked for Westinghouse Electric Co, So I always have an interest in their contribution to our modern world!

[@crackerjack4833]

700 WLW

[@DanTDMJace]

I live in Florida, originally Cincinnati. I can pick it up 7:00 AM to 6:00 AM CST.

[@billvet6]

Thanks Randy, very interesting. When I drove 18 wheeler over the road I would listen to WLW often. Still get them at night here on the south east shore of Lake Michigan in Indiana. Listen on I Hart radio. Bill Cunningham was ,is my favorite program on WLW.

[@genewoody7187]

There were a lot of those old clear channel radio stations you could listen to in the 60. 70 and 80's. I also drove a truck and listened to wwl, New Orleans, wor, Detroit, wwva, Wheeling, WV., who, Des Moines, IA. and a few others I can't remember. After 8 P.M. the little stations within 10khz had to shut down so the big ones would be clear.

[@jeromewysocki8809]

Gene Woody , three more clear channel stations were WGN (720), WBBM (780), and WLS (890), all in Chicago. WLS claimed they had listeners in 38 states. I understand that each major American city could have at least one of these types of stations. I think they are now limited to a maximum power of 50 kw, each.

[@USNERDOC]

Absolutely awesome video Randy. What a fascinating piece of history. Thanks for sharing this with all of us!

[@dalepuckett]

Thanks Randy! Fascinating video. I remember those high power stations and listened to them when I was a kid in the 50's. Really enjoyed it!

[@century3horizons]

Totally mind-boggling. I have seen big rigs in my life and 30+year career in Broadcasting but the WLW rig is still the most fascinating. Thanks, K7AGE, for putting this amazing tour video together.

[@AudiophileTubes]

Utterly FASCINATING! Thank you for this awesome video Mr. Randy! Incredible engineering prowess for it's time!

[@k3sam]

Thanks Randy ! Growing up in the 50's and 60's I listened to WLW as well as WLS, WCFL at night and KDKA anytime as it was local. I know KDKA was first on however I did not know about the 500kw secret, lol. The video was very professionally done for an amateur and enjoyed every second of it. From one CE to another, thanks again sir. -Sam

[@K7AGE]

Thanks and a big thanks to Jay and Geoff for their help in making this video. I will be posting another video about WLS's collection of 50,000 transmitters, stay tuned.

[@rbmwiv]

I really enjoy seeing this old technology. I’m super fascinated with tubes and restoring old tube radios and amps. Wow 500k watts Thats incredible for the time. Great video. Thanks for making it.

[@SysOpsRoot]

Great video... i love to see the old systems

[@ke7trp1tube]

I really enjoyed the video. Thanks for taking the time.

[@petersvan7880]

Very interesting video, a big thank you to all including the original engineering and construction team who made this possible!

[@0tt0z]

Fascinating! Thanks for posting. There were some great minds working together to get that station up and running. I love to see things like this.

[@EzeeLinux]

I'm so tonally geeked out after watching this! When I was taking engineering classes, my teacher talked about this legendary transmitter. I have seen pictures before but this is awesome because you actually get to hear how it works! Thanks for the great video. :)

[@stephenburkholder9411]

Most of these cookies are on one self beyond my reach but I’m still fascinated. Not so much anymore but I was addicted to WLW in the nineties. Burbank, Bozo, McConnell, Cunningham, Jim Scott & Seg Denison.

[@billpotter9716]

I used to live in Mississippi and could catch WLW loud and clear in the early evenings. What a wonderful history. Thanks!

[@horseywater]

I have an FCC General and absolutely loved seeing all of this-thanks.

[@str33tb1k3r]

Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful video!

[@RunFast64]

This station design was high tech back in the day. There are still knowledgeable RF engineers but the numbers are dwindling. Of course any engineer that designs systems with signals above audio still needs to understand RF design principles. It's a black art for many.

[@UncleKennysPlace]

I know many who fully understand it; science, not art, to be sure, once you do understand it. We test our jet engine controls for HIRF, EMI, and lightning, per FAA regulations.

[@RunFast64]

@@UncleKennysPlace Yep....I am an aerospace embedded system engineer so I know of what you speak.

[@basketballjones6782]

Nope. There's a whole generation of kids who know everything; just ask them... KZbin is their classroom. They know everything about everything due to KZbin.

[@derkchurk5879]

@@basketballjones6782 wats Mr. Carlsons lab on youtube, then sign up for his electrical engineering courses on patron, on youtube, he rebuilds vacuum tube radios, transmitters, test equipment amplifiers ect..

[@billspooks]

I heard a story that people near the transmitter would form an insulated coil of wire around a 55 gallon drum then remove the drum and connect a light bulb to the ends of the coiled wire and hang it up. The broadcast was so strong that the light bulb would light up from the energy radiated from the WLW transmitter.

[@K7AGE]

Lots of watts

[@glennso47]

K7AGE Someone I served in the Navy with was from Detroit and he talked about the transmitter of WXYZ being across from where he attended high school. He said you couldn't operate a car radio near their tower without interference. And I understand that WXYZ isn't really all that powerful compared to WLW.

[@TheLightningStalker]

They had to keep the lights on somehow during the great depression.

[@bluewaltz4279]

Heaven only knows what that kind of power was doing to the human body!

[@AdamosDad]

As a child I used to be fascinated by radio, a woman across the road told me one day she could hear me on her steam iron.

[@markh.2899]

This is an absolute National treasure ! - Thank you!

[@ichabodon]

Amazing for the 20’s and 30’s. Glad it is still there

[@flash001USA]

I'm surprised that they didn't travel thru time when they were at full power! Great video. Thanks!

[@K7AGE]

I think they had more engineers to run the the transmitter than Scottie had in the engine room.

[@BobDePalma]

But they did travel thru time! That happened back then to bring it to you in the NOW! Buttabing! Time travel! Don't be haters out there!

[@flash001USA]

LAMO! Yep you are correct.

[@kenrickeason]

If their minds was in the place of time travel they would of accomplish it.. LOL...

[@Livedracersteve]

they were trying to work there way up to 1.21GW but never quite made it haha

[@K7AGE]

This thing is amazing to see in person. High power required a lot a special design considerations.

[@fjbtucvjcdu7860]

K7AGE OH LOL! Just discovered your channel. My call sign is OE6AGE... What a coincidence

[@4gauge10]

I would like to see the electric bill for this from back then,it could buy a mansion at today's price$$$$$$$.

[@kusgilb]

Fascinating. I love the technical side to this video.

[@markkrause4407]

I wish my Dad could have made the tour , He was a radio engineer at WRSW in Warsaw , Indiana between 1958-1966 . He would have love it .

[@Dewey-wz4ny]

Thanks for a great video! I work on some big stuff in the service (so I thought). Thanks for the history lesson! I would have loved to been there!

[@dbingamon]

I used to have a telephone that picked up WLW, had to replace it because of it. Kings Mills Ohio

[@Brookside975]

Even up here in Kettering, we use to have a phone that constantly picked up WING 1410, who antenna was less than a mile away.

[@MWofOHIO]

Even in the 1990's, early 2000's, we could still pick up WLW on the telephone, especially just after your friend or family member hung up before you did.

[@RobertJochim]

Great job at documenting an important part of radio and broadcast history.

[@soundguydon]

Incredible video! Thank you for sharing.. What an awesome time that must've been for radio enthusiasts -- with all the experimenting, and a whole lot less regulation ;-)

[@reallyweirdperson1]

Wow! I live 5 minutes from this and never knew all of the history behind it!

[@wildthing3028]

OMG the amazing scale ..power..and.. Engineering.. I'm just in total awe.. just think engineers were capable of doing that in the 20's and 30's.. but also amazes me is that the average Lehman.. hardly knows what a spark plug does..

[@edwatts9890]

Even more amazing is that "radio" was only about thirty years old at the time!

[@fisterB]

Similar thoughts. I guess the answer is that this amazing mass of talent is out there in any epoch, but you will have to go find them...attract them even. And there is a powerful combination of a few old guys with decades of cutting edge technology experience, leading young sharp minds.

[@analogdino1]

Today an barely qualified "host" walks into a computer controlled station and selects phone calls or punches a button for canned digital so-called "music". Based on what you hear sometimes, no-one at the station even has a portable radio on to listen to the "RF product" going out. Don't start me on audio compression...

[@MrMopar413]

Awesome video, that just blew my mind out that they came up with all this back then, wow

[@redsquirrelftw]

This popped up on my page and think I seen it before but had to watch again, very impressive stuff. There is something really cool about technology from that era.

[@CliffFoxKU4GW]

Thanks so much Randy! I think I missed my calling as far as my career because stuff like this just fascinates me! Very 73, KU4GW

[@markadoglet]

What a fantastic video I have enjoyed every second of this, I have always been interested in high power broadcast transmitters ever since I was a little kid, thanks Randy for putting this on KZbin - Barry G4DIP.

[@K7AGE]

I watched it, very good. The antenna switching is amazing.

[@MilanCekic]

Very interesting video, thank you very much for sharing! Best wishes to WLW crew.

[@K7AGE]

David, thanks. That must have been an amazing living breathing machine to be around when it was running.

[@cups3]

When I was taking my electronics training 1978, and we had a lab were we were going to be actually working with tools, our instructor wanted us to realize this is the dangerous stuff. But he wanted to talk about it is the reaction to a shock that does the damage. He talked about working in big transmitters where you turned the power off , walked into a cabinet made a adjustment waked out fired it up and see if it was ok . He was working in a cabinet and the ding dong working with him forgot if he had actual flipped the switch when "power off " was called . So of course he just flipped it the other way. My instructor that was in the cabinet got zapped as he was reaching in past the sheet metal . He yanked his arm back. He took off his jacket and was wearing a short sleeve shirt so we got a eye opening shot of the long ugly purple scar running all the way down his arm

[@neovonfrankenstein6419]

That was neat. Thanks for showing this vintage tech.

[@bradleysmith681]

Great presentation and great video! Thanks!

[@K7AGE]

Last year at Dayton, after the first day of hiking around the Hara Arena, I went on a tour to the WLW AM transmitter. Back in 1932 they installed a 500,000 watt amplifier/modular to the transmitter. Interesting story. Enjoy. #hamradio @hamvention

[@roger_VK2VRK]

Watching this with great Interest. Thanks for sharing K7AGE

[@jlcradio1]

I did the same thing- w5uks

[@bigbone88]

The Hosts SUCKS

[@kenrickeason]

I'm curious.. In theory: How many states and countries the 500,000 watts transmitters reached?

[@genewoody7187]

@@kenrickeason If the atmosphere is just right the signal will bounce around the world. I was driving to San Diego, California in 1969 from Arkansas. At the foot of the mountains from El Centro, Ca I picked up a station from Guyman, Ok. The station ran on 10,000 watts. I was able to listen to three or four songs before the signal went away. It's not the power, it's the atmosphere.

[@christopherhulse8385]

500kw is an insane amount of power, although there are stations using 2000kw today in parts of the world!

[@DanTDMJace]

2 MW?

[@tuberadiohistory8093]

Very interesting look into great old radio transmitter. Thanks.

[@jdsalinger73]

Fascinating. Thanks for posting!

[@may4state58]

What a shame that the City of Cincinnati allowed the old Arlington Ave site to go into ruins. :( What a VITAL piece of American history! Not just the radio aspect... But the automotive and national defense history as well. Maybe on day... Someone VERY WEALTHY will restore the Arlington building to it's glory. But the City allowed it to sit sooo long... It would be an uphill battle.

[@amelierenoncule]

Those who lived near, found that all their curly-'short hairs' would eventually straighten out after a few doses of the transmitter's output.

[@plhebel1]

Shocking ,, hee hee.

[@J0HN3]

Thanks so much for creating this. Never knew this station existed.

[@sheldonbox4230]

Amazing history. Thanks for this.

[@trustthewater]

This is truly an amazing piece of history and a triumph of engineering. Thank you for sharing. I wonder how much all the raw material would be worth today. It seems almost ironic that such a monster designed for communication for a vast section of the US is now able to reach a far wider audience for next to no expense on KZbin.

[@fisterB]

Yes it is truly awesome for the period, the limitations of materials and electronics given. The modern internet consumes even vaster amounts of power to push those electrons around though, but then again the amount of communication is also far far greater per watt so the cost really is next to nothing.

[@plhebel1]

Ya know,, the skills of those old ham,, Well this transmitter is beyond what I am referring to,, but the things these fells did on building these homebrews and the ability to read CW so well (cause it was so necessary ) wouldn't hurt to have in today's world if something like a mile wide asteroid slammed our home. If we were not wiped out from the lasting deep freeze I doubt that any modern teck would be working. Building and operating a station would be like 1912 or worse. Lets pray that never happens but it's nice to have the knowledge just in case.

[@doncooper3946]

(@13:09) So - it took roughly 200 horsepower to generate the power JUST for the filaments! Wow!

[@LC-yn2xt]

Wonderful! Thank you and so interesting!

[@samiam9059]

Monumental achievement for that time. Great video!

[@adelarsen9776]

Thanks Randy. I watched all the way through. Fascinating. It's like my Icom 7200, except totally different..... LOL I wonder how much practical knowledge we're losing due to technology ? If we had to, could we build another transmitter like this from scratch ?? Hmm....

[@K7AGE]

Ade Larsen just no digital display!

[@josephjames259]

Thanks for uploading. I was in Mason a few months ago. I took some photos of the antenna array from the parking lot of a Mexican restaurant across the street. My interest is from being a fan of host Bill Cunningham. This was a very interesting video.

[@TomPauls007]

Great tour. Thanks.

[@justicelut]

Fantastic to see this. Thank you for uploading. Regards from Aus.

[@billskis]

Nice job K7AGE! Wonder if the station ever turned a profit. wish I had been born about 50 years earlier. Thanks! K1WMT

[@THEBIGLABAROWSKI]

Great video! I've lived in mason my whole life. Grew up just a few minutes from the transmitter site. Looking up at that tower as a kid played more than a small role in my interest in engineering. Are these tours done on a regular basis? I would love to get in on that. Is any information available about the link from the Crosley building to the transmitter site? Was it just telephone lines? What's the story on the HMMPWV that's always parked outside?

[@timmotel5804]

Wow. Excellent delightfully educational. Thanks for sharing this wonderful piece of history.

[@kcscarecrow]

Very fascinating Randy. I worked in broadcasting in my younger years and its something that gets in your blood.

[@James_Bowie]

Great tour, thanks! 👍 Damn rude people who have side conversations during a presenter's talk annoy the heck out of me.

[@K7AGE]

Be glad that I put a wireless mic on the guys.

[@SACWarrior70s]

K7AGE Glad you did. Your side-kick could have used some miking too, but hard to get mini mixer in there. Your talk brought back my early 11yrold radio days and my Air Force Ground Radio days at SAC. KWT-6 was the largest and only TX we had at my shop, and then a pair of R390's with cross squelch for WWV received supplied for telephone line feed hack with over 90K calls a year. One recv on 10mhz and the other on either 15 or 20mhz. Yes, that guy's "Side Conversation", ALMOST STARTED to take over! I Thought YOUR Guy was the one GIVING THE TOUR? with your other Friend? There has Always got to be some "know it all", and for that matter, how many people were listening to him? One or Two? RUDE! Surprised they didn't tell him they wanted to hear him talk instead the other hot shot, and not his "side-bar"! I would have said something to him. His speech sounded like he was giving it as a "hard of hearing" and also as if HE was the most important one in the room? Hard of hearing? I too have been a motor mouth and got reminded, bringing up history I knew. I learned to raise my hand to interject or ask if the presenter knew any of what I knew at important subject times. During breaks, I would confir and he would let me talk. I then wrote down all I talked about so he could add to his talk and also research my Truths! I kept them brief, so I had to learn to try and be quiet to hear first what I didn't know!...adding to my stories for others who may have never heard of either of our stories. Learning 'HISTORY' not speaking my own, has been very benefical. Lips flapping might get you shot with my or their BS. If you know who it was, I would suggest they listen near the last third/quarter of this video and show them the "attention" broken on your presentation by their very PRESENT VOLUME, which had an affect on your stories...Have them send me an email! I'll return one with a large Q-tip, with an address of "What does quiet mean?" I learned! After sending it back THRU HIS LEFT EAR TO THEIR RIGHT SIDE...maybe they'll get the jest? Obviously EMPTY HEADED, just a recording pre-made...lips flapping. Thanks...Great job, Got my 3rd Radar Edorsed in 1971 in Omaha, where I wound up at Offutt AFB, Later. Worked for KIOS FM, KVNO FM, and wired a TV STATION IN 1986 for stereo, WOWT. Never got my 1st, and haven't picked up my general now that it was is the norm? If you get a chance get on Tour in San Fran of Mt Sutro? Tower for Ch 4 & Ch 5 which SHARE A SINGLE ANTENNA WAVE GUIDE combiner TO THE TOP! AMAZING LOOKING COUPLET! Sometimes lighting takes it out. in 1982 dollars it was a $250,000 piece, bet its now a cool Million but not needing as much pwr with Digital, but bet it still reaches its old cir. of 100miles to East and South? Againn I was glad to come across your channel.

[@analogdino1]

@@SACWarrior70s Your side kick should not have spoken to your back... or even turned his back! Front-on would have been OK.

[@graplingurty]

Hahaha good ta see ya from the Chief Engineer of WWCK fm - WCZN am Flint MI circa 1974 - KC0ZQB

[@manitoba-op4jx]

the fact that this transmitter is in anything less than operating condition is a tragedy of massive proportions.

[@filmingwithmydrone8006]

What a great video thank you for sharing it!

[@rupe53]

I always look in awe at this older technology and wonder what it would take to put it back on line. Would it still serve a purpose in the big picture?

[@LouisGiliberto]

The sheer magnitude of the engineering is impressive.

[@davida1hiwaaynet]

Thanks! This is fascinating. Love it!

[@scottcharney4262]

Great upload! This stuff is riveting to me.

[@heru-deshet359]

When radio was driven by steam power, lol. All kidding aside, WOW!

[@ZoomtronicBlogspot]

SW radio station near Belgrade had 2MW of RF power, started emitting in 1930's www.rts.rs/page/tv/sr/story/21/rts-2/1076422/trezor.html "Objekat u Zvečkoj podignut je 1949. godine po ruskom projektu, antena visine 235 metara bila je oko 33 metra viša od tornja izgrađenog na Avali; predajnik je bio jačine 150 kw, početkom šezdesetih postavljen je predajnik jačine 400 kw, a kada je rađen aneks zgrade, 1974. godine, kupljen je predajnik od 2000 kw, a zamena starog učinjena je a da to niko nije osetio, ni slušaoci Radio Beograda ni svetski stručnjaci koji su odali veliko priznanja za taj tehnički izazov koji su više nego uspešno ostvarili naši inženjeri i tehničari. Glavni projektant bio je inž. Momčilo Simić, a inž. Mile Bogdanović je bio nadzorni organ za predajnik, kao i za posebano izgrađen dalekovod kod Mislođina i koji je nezavisno od mreže napajao predajnik u Zvečkoj."

[@CARL557511]

Thanks for the video! Plate modulation... WOW !

[@Alpha8713]

Amazing place! Thanks for sharing.