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Question
#54783. LeakyPickle
asks:
Back in the 30s a few US radio stations operated at 500,000 watts. Were there any that broadcast higher that that?
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gtho4
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500,000 watts, or 50kW, is the current limit for radio stations in North America. Radio station WLW broadcast at 500kW on 2nd May 1934:
Radio station WLW has a history as colorful and varied as any in the United States. It is unique in that it was the only station ever granted authority to broadcast with 500kW. The station actually began with 20 watts of power as a hobby of Powel Crosley, Jr.
The first license for WLW was granted by the Department of Commerce in 1922. Crosley was authorized to broadcast on a wavelength of 360 meters with a power of 50W, three evenings a week. Growth of the station was continuous. It operated at various frequencies and power levels until, in 1927, WLW was assigned to 700kHz at 50kW and remained there. Operation at 50kW commenced on October 4, 1928. The transmitter was located in Mason, OH. The station could be heard as far away as Jacksonville, FL and Washington, D.C.
[ continued ]
Feb 04 05, 9:11 AM
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gtho4
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[ continued ]
The super-power era of WLW began in 1934. The contract for construction of the enormous transmitter was awarded to RCA in February 1933. Tests on the unit began on January 15, 1934. The cost of the transmitter and associated equipment was approximately $400,000, not much today, but a staggering sum in the middle of the Great Depression. At 9:02 p.m. on May second, programming was commenced with full 500kW of power. The super-power operation was designed to be experimental, but Crosley managed to renew the license every 6 months until 1939. The call sign W8XO was occasionally used during test periods, but the regular call sign of WLW was used for programming.
"Immense" is the only way to describe the WLW facility. The antenna reached a height (including the flagpole at the top) of 831-feet. The antenna rested on a single ceramic insulator that supported the combined force of 135 tons of steel and 400 tons exerted by the guys. The tower was guyed with eight 1 7/8-inch cables anchored 375-feet from the base of the antenna. The main antenna was augmented by a directional tower designed to protect CFRB, Toronto, when the station was using 500kW at night. The directional system was unique in that it was the first designed to achieve both horizontal directivity and vertical-angle suppression.
 http://www.tvhandbook.com/History/History_radio.htm
Feb 04 05, 9:11 AM
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