*** The Ampliphase Anthology ***
This page is a list of as many higher powered ampliphases as I can track down. As these now go back over 45 years, it is going
to be increasingly difficult to obtain information. However, if you can add anything at all, verify, or correct any of this infomation, then
please email me at ampliphase[at]radio.fm (replace the [at] with an "@") or use the links to the feedback form. At the present time I am not intending to keep an online list of the five and ten ampliphases,
but if you can shine any light on these as well, then feel free to pass it on.
I really appreciate all feedback to these pages. Thanks!
| Station | Location | Model | In service | Serial No. | Comments.... |
| WINS 1010 | New York, NY | 50G | 1956 | | First unit to be delivered. Left factory on Dec 28, 1955! |
| KSTP 1500 | Minneapolis, Mn | 50G | 1956 | | Sold to neighbour WMIN (1030) in 1984, taken out around 1993, possibly then went to Argentina |
| DZMC | Philippines | 50G | 1956 | | |
| WCAR 1130 | Detroit, Mi | 50G | 1957 | | |
| WGN 720 | Chicago, Il | 50G | 1957 | | |
| - - - | Korea | 50G | 1957 | | |
| KCBQ 1170 | San Diego, Ca | 50G | 1958 | | |
| KDAY 1580 | Santa Monica, Ca | 50G | 1958 | | |
| WGTO 540 | Florida, Fl | 50G | 1958 | 16 | Shipped to Ecuador, Late 70's/early 80s(?) |
| WAPI 1070 | Birmingham, Al | 50G | 1958 | | |
| WJMJ 1540 | Philadelphia, Pa | 50G | 1958 | | |
| WIBG 990 | Philadelphia, Pa | 50G | 1958 | | Became WZZD in '77. Tx ended up onboard MV Nannell, see below |
| WINZ 940 | Miami, Fl | 50G | 1958 | | |
| WTOP 1500 | Washington, DC | 50G | 1958 | | |
| KXEN 1010 | St Louis, Mo | 50G | 1959 | | Still in service 2002 ! |
| CFNB 550 | Fredricton, Can | 50G | 1959 | | |
| KPOP 1020 | Los Angeles, Ca | 50G | 1960 | | |
| - - - | Venezula | 50G | 1960 | | |
| XERF | Mexico | 250KW! | 1960 | | |
| - - - | Iran x2 | 100kw | 1960? | | |
| WLKW 990 | Providence, RI | 50G | 1960 | | Suffered heat damage due to failed blowers and scrapped, mid 80's. Known affectionately as the "Belch Fire Fifty"! |
| WJBK 1500 | Detroit, Mi | 50G | 1960? | | |
| WMAQ 670 | Chicago, Il | 50H | 1960 | BC00625 | Some RCA documents show this to be the first 50H. Retired to standby 1978, switched off 1986, scrapped 2002 |
| KNBR 680 | San Francisco, Ca | 50H | 1960 | BC00725 | |
| WBAL 1090 | Baltimore, Md | 50H | 1961 | BC101111-A | Some RCA documents claim this to be the first 50H! - upgraded to 50H1S in 1974. |
| WNBC 660 | New York, NY | 50H | 1961 | BC01425 | Sold to KPLA/KCBC 1983. See below. |
| WGBS 710 | Miami, Fl | 50H | 1964 | | Retired to standby 1981,
Believed to be intact in storage container 2001 |
| KFAB 1110 | Omaha, Ne | 50H | 1964? | | Retired to standby 1980?, scrapped to make room for DX50 2001 |
| WRVA 1140 | Richmond, Va | 50H1S | 1964? | BC11411 | Upgraded to 50H1S in 1974 |
| WWL 870 | New Orleans, La | 50H | 1964 | BC41303 | Upgraded to 50HS Jan '73. Replaced by 50J, eventually stripped for parts |
| WWL 870 | New Orleans, La | 50J | 1975 | BC36703A | Replaced the above 50H in '75. Still on site and for sale in 2001 |
| WISN 1130 | Milwaukee, Wi | 50H1 | 1965 | BC37289 | Replaced in mid 80's with a Nautel, soon to have 3DX50 Destiny (2003) |
| WPTF 680 | Rayleigh, NC | 50H | 1965 | BC54111 | Sold to KPLA/KCBC 1983, see below |
| WMEX 1510 | Boston, Ma | 50H1 | 1966 | BC68024 | Used as standby till 1993 then broken up. Parts still in storage 2002 |
| WJJD 1160 | Chicago, Il | 50H1 | 1966 | | Scrapped 2002. DX50 in use, RCA 10U as standby |
| KLOK 1170 | San Jose, Ca | 50H1S | 1969 | BC91335 | |
| KACY 1520 | Port Hueneme, Ca | 50H1 | 1969 | BC90134-A | TX sold to KNTR Washington, 1989 |
| KREX 1100 | Grand Junction, Co | 50H1 | 1969 | BC81730 | |
| KPNW 1120 | Eugene, Or | 50H1 | 1967 | BCD73433-B | |
| CFUN 1410 | Vancouver, BC | 50H1 | 1968 | | 50H in Blue, sold to KNTR Ferndale as parts in 1996, see below | |
| KFBK 1530 | Sacramento, Ca | 50H1S | 1969 | BC83435A | In service as standby 2002. KFBK had a homebuilt ampliphase in 1948, the design of which was adopted by RCA. KFBK also had the first Harris DX50, Serial number 1. |
| WHOO 990 | Orlando, Fl | 50H1 | 1967 | BC51884 | TX used as standby until 1995, dismantled and parted out before building demolished. |
| Radio London 1133 | on board MV Galaxy | 50H | 1964 | BC46327 | Ship went off air 1967, but not scrapped till '85. Tx still on ship when broken up. |
| Radio Caroline 963/819 | on board MV Ross Revenge | 50H | 1983 | 101 | Bought 2nd hand from Quebec, out of service 1989, may one day work again. |
| Radio NorthSea Int. | on board MV Mebo 2 | 100B | 1970 | 002 | Ship and Tx sold to Lybia in 1975, Tx believed to have been removed and used on land. |
| MV Nannell | North Sea | 50G | 1988 | | Ex WZZD/WIBG. Ship was fitted out and put to sea, but finance fell through before going on air. |
| KKYX 680 | San Antonio, Tx | 50J | 1976 | BCD62755 | |
| WHN 1050 | New York | 50J | 1973 | BC20584 | Sold by Besco in 1987. |
| KTWO 1030 | Casper, Wy | 50J | 1975 | BC53016-A | |
| KGRV 700 | Winston, Or | 50G | 1984 | | Running 25kw daytime, 500w night, TX bought 2nd hand |
| KFQD 750 | Anchorage, Ak | 50J | 1970 | BC01939 | Still in service 2002! |
| KRMG 740 | Tulsa, Ok | 50J | 1976 | BC62776 | |
| - -640 | Guatemala | 50J | 1977 | BC629103 | Two in parallel for 100kw. The last ever 50K ampliphase ! |
| - -1150 | Dominca, West Indies | 50J | 1975 | | |
| WCHP 760 | Champlain, NY | 50? | 1985 | | Running 25KW, TX bought 2nd hand |
| KPLA 770 | Modesto, Ca | 50H | 1986 | x2 | New station in '86. Bought two 50H's from WNBC and WPTF. WPTF unit (nicknamed Brutus) in use as standby 2002, WNBC box disposed of. Call now KCBC. |
| KNTR 1550 | Ferndale, Wa | 50H1 | 1989 | BC90134 | Upgraded to 50Kw in 1989, Tx bought 2nd hand from KACY. Still on site but out of use 2002. Also bought 50H from CFUN as spares. |
| C??? | Quebec | 50H | 1963 | 101 | Acquired by Radio Caroline 1982 |
Only about 12 of the shortwave ampliphase, the BHF-100, were ever built. Two of these went to Rawalpindi in Pakistan, and four went to Icorrodu in Nigeria in 1963 as the External Service of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation and operated until 1989. One went to Thailand and one or possibly two to Vatican Radio in Rome. Four units went to HCJB in Ecudaor,
including the original prototype which was later cannibalised to make a pair of 10KW sets (still in service 2003). The remaining three at HCJB were later sold to High Adventure Missionaries, with one TX
relocated to Simi Valley, California (just north of Los Angeles), and two in Palau in the Western Caroline Islands (how appropriate!). These three are also still in
service after almost 40 years! Whilst at HCJB they were referred to the "31 meter" transmitters, not because of the broadcast frequency, but because of the number of panel meters! Top marks to John and Roy for keeping them running.
RCA subcontracted the SW ampliphase to a manufacturing facility in Italy, and a brief description of the problems with these transmitters is on the shortwave page.
Some of the detail on this page is taken from RCA information of the late 70's, which shows at that time, BTA-50F plate-modulated Tx'ers (1940's vintage) were in
use at the following stations: KAAY 1090, Lttle Rock, Ar; KCMO 810, Kansas City, Mo; WHYZ 1070, Greenville SC; KMPC 710, Los Angeles; KRVN 880, Lexington, Ne (scrapped late 90's); KWKH 1130, Shreveport, La; WGAR 1220, Cleveland, OH.
See Jim Hawkins excellent site for a tour of WGAR's 50F (became WKNR now WHK).
The 50F at KAAY in Little Rock is still used as standby in 2003, 50 years on, and was on air for several days in Sept 2003 when the main MW50 failed big time.
With many thanks to Duffy Egan, John Stanley, Roger Stubbe, Stu Cook and all contributors for their help !
My E-mail address is : "ampliphase [at] radio [dot] fm" or use the links to the feedback form. Thanks!
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