WLW operated under an experimental license with half a million watts from about 1935 to about 1940 when it was returned to 50KW.  It was still on a clear channel (700 Khz) with an efficient antenna so probably covered Europe especially to a high flying airplane.  The super power experiment was never duplicated.  However, the the transmitter was maintained for many years. Wikipedia has a good history of this period. I believe WLW still uses the same antenna .



Sent from my Galaxy


-------- Original message --------
From: n3lll -- <[email protected]>
Date: 4/17/25 7:09 AM (GMT-08:00)
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [ARC5] [Milsurplus] Command Receivers on the Broadcast Band

My father was a Bombardier on B-24's in the Eighth Air Force during WW2.  Our family was from Lima, Ohio, long before I knew what a Command Set was he told me this story.  He said when they returned from a mission over Germany and were finally out of harm's way the radio operator would tune the radio to WLW in Cincinnati.  As I recall WLW in those days transmitted with far more than 50,000 watts.  He said it was like being home again.  Each time I restore a BC band command set I think of this.  Here is a link to a short Youtube I did one sunday morning with a broadband loop on a tripod outside my shop.  There was a station every 10KHz.  With that same configuration I can hear WWL in New Orleans, during the day, over 340 miles away.  Best Regards ... tom, N3LLL

Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICm8vwxTovY


On Thu, Apr 17, 2025 at 7:33 AM gordon white <[email protected]> wrote:
Fascinating!!

Some years ago I was doing the history of the SS CONESTOGA, a WW II T-2
oil tanker I served on for a summer in the 1950s and when I tried to get
access to the deck logs I was told the Maritime Administration had
shredded them. (I was able to find the Naval Armed Guard logs. They were
the Navy gun crews assigned to convoy ships.)   Where did you find the
deck logs?


  - Gordon Eliot White

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