I am restoring a 1960s, 500-Watt, vacuum-tube AM transmitter and receiver system manufactured by TMC (Technical Materiel Corporation, Mamaroneck, New York).

The transmitter is a TMC GPE-1A AM exciter (c.1961) with a matching TMC PAL-500 linear amplifier (c.1966) and a and a TMC ATS-2 SWR monitor/controller/meter. Above the rack cabinet is a Radalab ME-165/G power monitor and 600-Watt dummy load (c.1958), an Electro-Voice 635 microphone (c.1948) with an ART ProChannel Tube preamplifier/EQ (c.2001), a homebrew T/R relay switch/controller for the TMC system combined with a 1000-Watt roller-inductor antenna tuner, and a 123-foot wire dipole antenna with a 1:1 mast-mounted balun. Transmitter monitoring is with a Millen 90932 Monitor Oscilloscope (c.1961).

Three receivers are shown: a TMC FFR (AN/FRR-502) fixed-frequency receiver (c.1957 -- in the rack cabinet), a Stoddart NM-26T EMI receiver (c.1974 -- on the desk), and a Specific Products WWV monitor receiver, Model WWVF (c.1955 -- below the KWM-2). Their 455 kHz IF outputs are connected to an optional synchronous detector/amplifier (a Sherwood SE-3). A pair of large Bertagni recording studio speakers are ceiling mounted at 45-degrees for critical AM listening.

And an older, classic Apple Macintosh G4 computer was installed for ham-related experiments such as Stickam.

High Fidelity AM with the TMC system is my first choice in this great hobby, but available for SSB is a classic Collins KWM-2 transceiver (c.1965), an Astatic D-104 microphone (c.1938), and a MFJ 969 antenna tuner with a 22-foot Hy-Gain vertical antenna. The Stoddart 30-inch shielded loop antenna (c.1956) is designed for VLF and LF measurements and experimentation. Not installed yet is a S9v 31-foot vertical and the ATS-2 roof-mounted, high-power tuner, which I hope will offer better performance.

Favorite frequencies: 3870 kHz (Western States AM group) nightly or 14.263 MHz (Collins radio group) Sunday afternoons!

Station location: Northern California.

Member: AMI, Western AM Club, ARRL, PAARA, and CHRS