WKBW Radio
Transmitter Information

There was a lot of folklore about the original WKBW 50kw transmitter, that it was an adapted shortwave transmitter and that somehow contributed to the station's excellent coverage at night.  That it was home-brew by K-Big "mad scientists."  That it was a TV transmitter originally.  And so forth.  But the truth is, it was a very stock - albeit enormous (the "Westy" HG-50 was about 30 feet long) high-level plate modulated 50kw AM, and one considered even today to be one of the finest of its type - truly the Mercedes-Benz of AM transmitters of the tube era.  Every part of it was preposterously overbuilt and over engineered, so that it could even today be loafing along, easily pumping out a monster signal, so long as somebody was there to pay the electric bill.  (High-power tube AM transmitters would consume electricity costing over $9000 a month at today's rates.) Contributed by Bob Savage, Pres/CEO WYSL NEWS 1040.

WWKB radio's present system consists of two Harris 50's and a RCA 10,000 watt stand-by built around the mid 1960's.

Harris DX-50

Output network, left
RF combiner, right 

Tech working on transmitter