The heart of this shack is a 1960s, 500-Watt, vacuum-tube, AM transmitter manufactured by TMC (Technical Materiel Corporation, Mamaroneck, New York).

The TMC transmitter is three separate units: a GPE-1A AM exciter (c.1961, one-Watt output), a matching PAL-500 linear amplifier (c.1966, one-Watt input, 500-Watts PEP output), and a ATS-2 SWR monitor/controller/meter.

Also shown is a Radalab ME-165/G power monitor with 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. Transmitter monitoring is with a Millen 90932 Monitor Oscilloscope (c.1961) and two remote VU meters, including a classic Weston Model 862 and a Dorrough Model 40-A. A 20-Ampere Variac energizes all vintage filaments and circuits slowly--and hopefully without too much smoke!

I am using simple 123-foot dipole with a 1:1 balun for 75-meters. For the 40-meter and 20-meter ham bands, I am using a roof-mounted S9v 31-foot vertical antenna tuned by a TMC Model ATS-2 roof-mounted, remote tuner at its base. The the controller for the remote antenna tuner and SWR meter system are contained in a rack unit on the operator's desk, although I have separated the SWR meter to function for all station antennas and for tuning the PAL-500.

Finally, part of the radio shack enters the 21st century: a FLEX-1500 SDR transceiver and a Mac mini computer with a 15" NEC monitor. The FLEX will serve as a substitute one-Watt exciter both for AM and SSB--an interesting marriage of 1966 and 2010 technologies!

The FLEX is the primary receiver with its great panadapter. The secondary receiver is Stoddart NM-26T EMI receiver (c.1974). The Stoddart's 455 kHz IF output is connected to a synchronous detector/amplifier (Sherwood Model SE-3). A pair of large Bertagni recording studio speakers are ceiling mounted at 45-degrees for critical AM listening for both receivers.

Also, in the cabinet is a National AN/FRR-24 receiver module (c.1952)

Wide-band high-fidelity AM is the preferred operating mode. Favorite frequencies: 3870, 3880 and 3885 kHz (Western States AM groups) nightly or 14.263 MHz (Collins radio group) Sunday afternoons!

Station location: Northern California.

Licenses:
. . . Ham: Advanced.
. . . Commercial: First-Class RadioTelephone

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