WLW Super-Power Transmitter Tour from 1985!

This is an historic tour of America's ONLY super-power AM radio station transmitter site at 700 WLW in Cincinnati, OH. It was recorded on December 9, 1985 by Art Vuolo, Jr. and the tour guide is none other than radio innovator Randy Michaels! Enjoy!

[@adriancressy8363]

GR8 video. That musta been something when the watts were flying into the air. That signal could be heard over a good part of the USA DURING THE DAY!!

[@ikonix360]

From what I've read before during the 500kW days they once took a song request from Buckingham palace England

[@rudolphguarnacci197]

​@@ikonix360 Badum tsssss

[@sdrape4964]

Back when the only thing around the tower was a row of homes across the street on Tylersville. On December 9, 1985, I was just over a year old, getting ready for my 2nd Christmas. I grew up in Mason about 1.5 miles from the tower.

[@bloqk16]

Say! I remember seeing this back in 1986 when Art was visiting Los Angeles to attend the Radiophiles convention at the time. He had a VHS camcorder and used it as a video player with hooking it up to a TV set in the hotel. The portability of showing videos back then was something to marvel at, as it pre-dated laptop PCs for displaying videos in a portable fashion. Viewing the video was so impressive that here it is, decades later, and I still recall this.

[@ionamic]

Hah! It's funny seeing Randy back then. I was lucky enough to also get a tour of the WLW transmitter site. An amazing museum, including the pool.

[@ralphburns6659]

The best transmitter video, EVER!

[@powertube5671]

Wow! Thanks for posting this video. I took a few tours and did my video here on KZbin in 1997 with my Sony Handycam. So, now there are three videos of WLW on KZbin that I am aware of. It's an operational and operating museum. It has played an important role in American Radio History, along with the now shut down VOA, which was still operational when this and my video were shot.

[@coles201]

This is an awesome video, thanks for sharing!

[@AudioMobil]

Awesome!! Thank you for posting this video!

[@jeffreyyoung9256]

I'm at VOA. When we went on the air in 1942, we took over that half-meg monster transmitter and broadcast to the world from this stick farm. Ask the neighborhood earthworms and migratory birds what that thing felt like! Glad I wasn't an engineer on-site for the 500,000 RF machine. Glad I wasn't even within 50 miles. You could pick this thing up with a safety pin touching a razor blade and a diode!

[@seatboi]

Is VOA still broadcasting? I thought they shut it down! If it is, I'm GLAD, if not, I'm SAD! I used to listen to VOA when I was a kid with my Hallicrafters fake transoceanic radio!

[@jeffreyyoung9256]

@@seatboi Absolutely still broadcasting over the air in SW AM and FM. We have a number of stick sites overseas and here - the main CONUS site is in Greenville, NC. And we're also doing many channels through satellites. My dad gave me a Hallicrafters S-120 AM/SW when I was 10. It turned into a career.

[@borntoclimb7116]

The tower is beautiful

[@exploreupstateny413]

Great stuff! Thanks for sharing.

[@fjs1111]

Awesome Art! The RF is so intense wow

[@djscrilla44]

Really great video Art! I learned a lot. Thanks for sharing this!

[@evhvariac2]

Very informative!

[@billa1870]

And I just enjoy maintaining and operating my Johnson Valiant and my 500.

[@James_Bowie]

500KW was a wet dream for Wolfman Jack. Most he ever got to use was 250KW over the border.

[@fredbissnette3104]

alllllllll riiiiiiiiiiight!

[@southern_angel]

Would love to see this in person love these old am stations

[@jamesdavis5096]

he's a great host that was very interesting

[@scottbailey1560]

I visited the WSM-AM Transmitter when Everett Lawson was C.E. Back then in my 20s, no fear RF causing cancer. I made it a point not to fool with any AM Box over 1000 watts. Today, I'm retired and still have that RF Cancer Fear, but I guess not everyone gets it.

[@dktr2]

RF energy disrupts the camera at 9:23

[@CrisisGuildWOW]

They shot that video on my 11th birthday. Wow.

[@Peter-pv8xx]

Does anyone remember the truckin bozo that was on overnight I used to listen to him here in NJ when I was a kid.

[@southwestxnorthwest]

Have a shot every time he says _WLW;_ whoever is still alive at the end of the video wins

[@willrobbinson1]

wow the way it was - now its a box full of transistors in the middle of nowhere , real radio has gone

[@sillygoose635]

no its not gone.

[@steviebrochdale]

That was the day I was born

[@357bullfrog2]

That station used come in like I was sitting in the controll room and all of a sudden I can't get it

[@bigsatbsb]

Monster Transmitter

[@ve3enx95]

I wonder why they don't let them broadcast at 500 kW any more?

[@ikonix360]

From what I've read other stations tried for a 500kW license, we're denied and got the FCC (wasn't named that back then) to limit power to 50kW

[@joe6096]

At one time this puppy was pumping out a half million watts???? When you drove past the transmitter did your car illuminate?

[@steeviebops]

There have been plenty of high power AM transmitters in Europe; here in Ireland we had a 500 kW site at Tullamore from 1975 to 2008. On the continent there were quite a few over a megawatt. But the stories I've read about WLW make it seem like a lot more. Do the US rate their transmitter powers differently to Europe?

[@erzahler1930]

There were two super-power transmitters in Europe about which I'm aware. 1. The "Aspidistra" transmitter broadcast from England with 500 kW normally. It was sometimes pushed to 600 kW during WWII to broadcast propaganda into Nazi Germany. 2. The "Goliath" transmitter was a 500-kW station in Germany. It was used by the Kriegsmarine to broadcast messages by radiotelegraphy to U-Boats.

[@CDJF1]

@@erzahler1930 WLW Has RCA 1 500KW. WJZ in New Jersey orderd RCA 2 but stopped when power was capped at 50 KW. RCA 2 was sold and named Aspidistra.

[@andrey-gerasimov]

@@erzahler1930 Передатчик ,,Голиаф,, был демонтирован и вывезен из Германии в СССР в 1945 году, и находится в рабочем состоянии по сей день

[@MrDuneedon]

Hey...I live mere minutes from this beast of a tower.

[@eumoria]

At least it isn't 500,000 watts anymore. Would set your roof on fire.

[@val058]

What years was the best fidelity transmitter in use, and any airchecks showing that off I wonder?

[@CDJF1]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKHTeaxrj6upobs

[@val058]

@@CDJF1 Cathanode Modulation maybe..

[@Hidden_Destinations]

Radio voice!

[@user-ih6xt8mw7b]

Hey Art....

[@derkchurk5879]

Why couldn't I been alive in 1985...

[@PilotVBall]

Current news talent couldn't get past 6 words without stumbling and looking confused about what they are doing and saying in front of the camera. You see them every evening on the news stumbling over the teleprompter.

[@majikglustik9704]

Yeahhhh! WISH biscuits! I want one 😒

[@nuclearbox2]

when people say 5g is dangerous... 9:23 hold my drink fam

[@GBS1043]

Didn't Mark Mays fire Randy ???

[@akshonclip]

Where’s Jonny Fever?

[@seatboi]

It's too bad all that wonderful old tube stuff is 90% gone now! I THINK the ONLY thing left is the Western Electric transmitter & I don't even know if that's 100% there anymore! Just a boring ol' solid state transmitter no bigger than a closet runs WLW now!

[@michaelcrowley8339]

That's so doggone sad. Someone should open up an AM station as a museum and still run all tube stuff like the 60s... That would be really rad! Turntables, cart machines, 45s...

[@garymckee8857]

Is WLW still on the air?

[@andyleibrook6012]

Yes. They are preparing to celebrate 100 years in 2022.

[@johnhoward3042]

I would gladly drive 300 miles one way to go on a tour of the transmitter site.

[@jamieb9556]

I wouldn't want to live there to much RF

[@cwpsupport9348]

I used to live about a half a mile away, I never noticed any negative effects. I know live about two miles away, still no effects.

[@terrywilson4118]

Wouldn't like to live their 24/7 with all that RF might get cancer!!!

[@CrisisGuildWOW]

Radio waves even at that magnitude lack the energy required for genetic damage

[@rearspeaker6364]

@@CrisisGuildWOW definitely kill the germs and keep the little green men at bay.

[@CrisisGuildWOW]

@@rearspeaker6364 not sure what you mean, but it wouldnt kill anything.

[@rearspeaker6364]

@@CrisisGuildWOW ok.

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