Feeding your old radios
 

Anyone here considered constructing their own AM broadcasters for getting music, etc to their old radios? (like I have using a Ramsey AM-1C). I know about the Lil'7 and the like.

I have one that I built from plans on antiqueradio.org. Its the 6le8 transmitter that you'll probably find reference to if you search over there.

I have that one printed out. Something I should think of getting to work on. Somewhere someone has succeeded in using an xBE6 tube as a transmitter. wa2ise, If you're somewhere nearby, fill us in?

There are many AM transmitter kits available, usually intended for something just like that...connecting a CD player playing Tony Bennett so you can listen to your favorite music over your favorite radio.

Be sure to search on ARF, and do a Google search as well. You should find a bunch.

I bought a kit for a SS one and built it. It needs a better antenna than the 3-ft. wire that's, uh, 'allowed.' :D

Prior to that I had collected parts for a Lil 7 that are still laying around, in case anyone is interested in that one. Not that easy to find a 120-120V isolation transformer in a small size. I found one that also has a 6V winding for an indicator lamp.

I'm callin' the FCC. I heard about that beam you put up...:smoke:

:D I have it disguised as a cell tower with a 50-ft. flag on it.

Har! If it's tuned for the middle of the AM band, you're gonna need a bigger flag!

It's hard to get a really big one that's fireproof. Last one burned up.

2kw will do that.

Don't tell nobody. :para:

I've wanted to build one for a very long time.... the problem is I want to build the "best" one......

Which one IS the BEST one???

MK

ok, i know a bit about this topic...

i have a "buddy" running something like what your talking about. theres ramsey crap and theres good stuff. theres a guy in san francisco thats a retired engineer and he builds these things for different applications. yes, they may exceed certain regulations which im aware of and could care less about discussing all the better things our government can go crack down on so dont even go there.

in order to get something that sounds truly beautiful you need something built like a true AM transmitter and not some ramsey kit. the unit im familiar with uses a 6bq5 as the transmitter output and uses a hammond audio transformer being fed by a gainclone amp for modulation. transmit freq is set via an internal synthesizer. it makes AM sound like mono FM. bigband playing through a unit like this onto a vintage radio is like a time machine. use an old laptop running some volume leveling software with the audio player of your choice. winamp works well with a volume leveling plugin. itunes will work also as it has auto level adjust if you dont mind apple controlling how you move your music from one place to another.

on the music players eq, knock down the first and last slider all the way. no sense in trying to reproduce something that wasnt really part of the "sound" back then.

a transmitter like this will likely set you back a grand if you have someone build it but the sound is just indescribable. antennas are another issue. i'll get into that if theres interest.

if you're not up with flying the pirate flag theres this option...
http://www.sstran.com/
pricey yes, sounds good, so i have heard but not as good as the transmitters with actual modulation transformers and less forgiving of antenna issues than transmitters with tube outputs.

There is a whole host of various homebrew transmitter designs available on antiqueradio.org, including a plate modulation design, and several others. Poke around in the homebrew forum and you'll find a bunch of schematics. I've been meaning to build one myself, but I haven't sourced a chassis to construct on.

The 'best' one is the one you are going to build next, after this one you have just finished and it's not so hot as the advert would have you believe.........