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

The transmitter includes a TMC GPE-1A AM exciter (c.1961) or a TMC SBE-2 SSB/AM exciter (c.1963) with a TMC PAL-500 linear amplifier (c.1966) and a Radalab ME-165/G power monitor (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).

Two AM/SSB receivers are shown: a TMC FFR (AN/FRR-502) fixed-frequency receiver (c.1957) and a Stoddart NM-26T EMI receiver (c.1974) with their 455 kHz IF outputs connected to an optional synchronous detector/amplifier (a Sherwood SE-3) a Heath SB-620 panoramic spectrum analyzer. A pair of large Bertagni recording studio speakers are ceiling mounted at 45-degrees for critical AM listening.

High Fidelity AM with the TMC system is my first choice in this great hobby, but available for SSB as shown 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.

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

Station location: Northern California.

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