[Milsurplus] Re: Wilcox 96-C...somewhat long...

[Kenneth G. Gordon]

> >BTW, any of you ever see an ENTIRE Wilcox 96-C set up?
> >
> 
> Ken -
> 
> Which set up is the 96-C? 

It originally included 6 transmitters, crystal oscillator (6AG7), 
buffer (6L6), to 813 driving a pair of 450TLs, HF, common 
powersupply/modulator with three transmitters mounted on either 
side of it. Would also run RTTY with built-in FSKer. About 3 KW 
output 100% AM modulated. Neat rig.

>I have a massive Wilcox transmitter with 4
> pull-out drawers,

Tall, skinny "drawers", right?

> each containing a 250TL

Should be a PAIR of 450TLs, not a 250TL, unless someone has 
changed them...

> driven by an 813. Also has
> separate chassis for PS and modultor?

Yup.

> Thing is the size of a
> refrigerator (actually taller/wider) and the door handle bears a
> striking resemblance to same.

Yup.

> Has a telephone dial in it for
> (speculation) selecting frequencies or channels?

No speculation: that was what it was for all right. It had a fairly 
simple control box too, with a telephone dial in it, which one could 
mount at the receiving station to control the transmitters via 
telephone lines from practically any distance away.

> Picked it up years
> ago as a restoration project, then ended up finding a million other
> things to do. Need to find it a new home someday, but it would be nice
> to know what it was/is, and what it was used for.

According to the manual I have on the 96-A (96-C had vacuum 
variable capacitors; 96-A had big bread-slicers), it was originally 
designed to be a large, high-power, point-to-point, HF, 
transmitting setup for long-haul comms from HQ to points very far 
afield.

> It came from MARS
> back in the 60s IIRC. With the associate sub chassis and iron, it has
> to weigh in around 1000 lbs or better. When we moved the thing years
> back, it took 7-8 people even with the iron and chassis removed. Sure
> did bend the tailgate when we set it down to slide it in. Oooops? Knew
> there was something I was forgetting!

Yup. VERY big rig.

A fellow over in Orofino, Idaho used to run several as linear amps, 
one for each band. He had a motor-driven variac on the power 
supply which he adjusted from his operating bench. One time, due 
to some malicious interference on the 75 meter band, he cranked it 
up until in Missoula, Montana where I was living at the time, the 
S-meter on my SB-101 was bouncing off the top peg and the audio 
was popping from overload in my receiver. After the interfering 
fellow left, he cranked it back down.

I had an NIB 96-A transmitter which I received from AFMARS 
(just one, without the ps/modulator) which I wanted to use as my 
main amp. Never did get to it so I gave it to our AFMARS State 
Director. As far as I know it is still there.

The Wilcox 96 series transmitters also have an interesting "BIAS 
Isolator", which is an 811 with the plate grounded, the bias voltage 
fed to its cathode and then on to the final grid choke, and a 100K 
resistor from cathode to grid. It is essentially a bias shunt 
regulator, which makes it really easy to use the 96 as a class B or 
AB linear amp.

Ken W7EKB