I wonder about such things. I wonder who would walk a couple of miles, and climb over a chain link fence with some spray paint cans just to do this:
Spray Painted Graffiti, WICC transmitter building
Why are they not doing something else?
Graffiti WICC transmitter site, Bridgeport, CT
Can’t even read what it says, what does it say?
E135D? I’ve got my eye on you
On the roll-up door. What does that mean?
On an unrelated note, I wonder what Hurricane Irene thought of the Piping Plover nesting areas? Last year we were able to drive down the temporary road on the sandbar and deliver fuel, a new generator and remove stuff. This was an issue because the Piping Plovers nest on the ground in the sand dunes. Before we could use the road we were given a briefing by Connecticut Fish and Wildlife where we were told that destroying a nest would result in a $75,000 fine.
Long Beach, Connecticut
As this area was completely washed over by the Long Island sound, the answer is “Not much.”
The Nautel AMPFET series transmitters date from the early ’80s through early ’90s. They were Nautel’s first attempt at MF Broadcast transmitters and were quite successful. This particular transmitter was installed in early 1990 at WBEC in Pittsfield, MA:
Nautel AMPFET 1 AM broadcast transmitter
I believe Nautel got started making MW transmitters for Marine Radio stations, Aeronautical and Marine radio beacons, and similar equipment. Their early equipment is very rugged and designed for rough/continuous service. The early solid-state broadcast transmitters like the AMPFET were not hot pluggable but who cares, they almost never break. The design is simple, and efficient and it sounds good on the air.
Early transmitters were housed in racks that were much shorter. In later versions, the racks became larger to standardize the transmitter size with comparable units of the day. Inside this cabinet, there is a lot of empty space.
The design is modular, RF modules and power supplies can be removed from the transmitter for repair, unlike the Harris AM transmitter products of the same or later periods.
There later AM transmitter versions built on the AMPFET experience.
I was cleaning out the engineering room at WBEC in Pittsfield, MA today. The previous engineer, Ken Jones, passed away last July and we have been hired to do the engineering work. Part of that job is knowing where key information and parts are, thus the clean-up.
Whilst in the middle of that fun, I found a sheaf of papers consisting of this:
That is the classic engineering department bitch-o-gram, typed out on a typewriter. There were no fewer than eight memos to Ron (Stratton), who appears to be General Manager, from Don Coleman, the lowly engineer. Since WBEC was a directional AM station, the engineers had to walk out to the towers every day and take a set of base current readings to confirm that the antenna sample system was working properly. A rule is no longer in effect. Like many AM stations, WBEC is located in a low, swampy area. You will notice that this engineer had given the swamp a name and one wonders what the significance of that name is.
Back in the day of typewriters, sending off memos was no easy task. After the document was typed, a copier had to be found, copies made, and distributed to all parties. Oftentimes, distribution consisted of handing a copy directly to the person and waiting for a response. It was a way to put things in writing and to create a paper trail if needed in the future.
Here is another one:
In this memo, our hero references all of his previous memos on the same topic. Obviously, this engineer was very concerned about tower access and not breaking his or anyone else’s leg. I like the invitation for a walk out to the tower. The studios and general manager’s office are located at the WBEC transmitter site, so it would not have been a long walk.
These are fairly mundane, I can remember typing a few memos to the programming department on asbestos paper to keep them from bursting into flames. Ahhh, those were the days.
There are a myriad of details involved in building a studio, not to mention an entire facility. Getting everything down on paper before a single wire is pulled is one way to ensure that a neat, logical, and orderly product ensues. For wire run documentation, I like to use Excel spreadsheet templates that I came up with.
There are several different types of cable, from 25-pair ATT style to 16 or 24-pair shielded audio cable, to miscellaneous control cable, all of it has different color codes. I found the Belden Technical info website to be an excellent source for various color codes.
Doing neat work is the best way to keep things in order. Notice all the wires are labeled. All the ground conductors have heat shrink, which is required on insulation displacement terminations like 66 blocks, 110 blocks, and ICON terminations.
ADC ICON termination block
Once all the work is done, the wire run sheets are updated with changes and additions (there are always changes and additions) which will keep the documentation accurate.
I made up several templates with the wire color code, pair number, and cable information on each wire. This allows the wire man to quickly enter changes to the wire information on the sheet. At the end of the wiring project, these forms can be saved in several places, printed out, and placed in a book or however, the engineering manager wants to keep the information.
For 16/24 pair Gepco cable on ADC ICON Termination blocks, click here.
I say Gepco cable, any audio cable that is color coded with standard resistor color codes will work with these sheets, or the sheets can be adapted for use with other cables.
66 blocks audio and control for nextgen installation
This is a good installation. The company I work for has several wiremen that are artists and do excellent work. Notice there is adequate room and light to work on the wall. A dark, cramped area will lead to hurried work, poor workmanship, and mistakes in wiring.
Automation computer on slide-out rack with cable management system
All the cables to the rack mount computers are neatly dressed, which allows easier service.
