Re: [IRCA] Wobblers revisited

All the Czech transmitters date back to about 1967. In fact, the Tesla folks, complete with a “political officer” visited me in about ’68 to try to sell me some transmitters. They offered 3 models which had been “extensively proven” in Cuba, and they had pictures to show for it. The 30, 60 and 120 were all variants on the same basic modules, with different finals and power supplies. Most of the big low band Cubans were 120’s. However, the one I was offered was not water cooled. It was a conventional high level plate modulated rig, with everyone’s favorite Svetlana tubes in it. They were very bulky, and very heavy. The sheet metal in the cabinets was thicker than US transmitters of the time, and the internal plates were also steel, which surprised me as I was already building my own transmitters on aluminum frames and panels in ’64. I guess they wanted them to hold up to an atomic attack.

The technology throughout the Teslas was very conventional. They could easily be maintained anywhere in Latin America with rudimentary tools, an audio generator, a test set, a scope and a Simpson 260. I do not know of any frequency agile transmitters in Cuba being used on MW.

From: irca-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:irca-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Charles A & Leonor L Taylor
Sent: Sunday, October 16, 2005 2:43 PM
To: irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [IRCA] Wobblers revisited

I'd bet that transmitter sites in Cuba have been consolidated whenever possible and that they have several transmitters of Tesla vintage (the old Czechkoslovakian company) plus some acquired from China years ago plus some fairly new ones and that they want to be able to tune to any frequency likely to be used at that particular site, and not doing a good job at it.

Some of the old Tesla rigs probably have arc burns all over the finals to the point that the final coils leak water and have to be resoldered and rewelded on a daily basis.

Or other repair parts just aren't available anymore so they have to improvise in fabricating replacements.

The old American autos that have been fixed up and refixed up over and over on the streets of Havana are real wonders, but betcha they can't do that with old klunker transmitters because they don't have the shop equipment that they need.

Just a stab in the dark.

73 de WD9INP/4

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Charles A & Leonor L Taylor
Greenville, North Carolina