BC-DX TopNews WWDXC #945 BC-DX 945

antenna of the broken S4001 transmitter is the one labelled as
"Kurzwellen-Antenne noerdl. des Hauptgebaeudes". I understand that each
antenna is "hard-wired" to the related antenna, i.e. a swap is not
possible. Originally cover has been provided by the complete 20 kW
transmitter/antenna combination. When the separate 6190 kHz service
started in 1999 the concept changed in as far as transmission breaks
during maintenance or equipment failures are just accepted now.
"Teil des demontierten Kreuzdipols" was a vertical incidence antenna with
circular polarization for nighttime service on 990 kHz, now dismantled. At
some point in the nineties further use of this antenna has been banned,
because it produced too high fieldstrengths in the neighbourhood of the
station. Since then mediumwave transmissions are limited to the two guyed
masts, one of them carrying the 89.6 MHz antenna, too (the second RIAS FM
frequency, 94.3 MHz, has meanwhile been moved to the TV tower).
And a word about the transmitters: The remaining shortwave transmitter,
the one in the shack, is rated at 20 kW and has been delivered by
Telefunken in 1950, it is by far the oldest broadcasting transmitter in
everyday use in Germany (and perhaps well beyond).
The newer shortwave transmitter is or was an S4001, different from the
ones used by Media Broadcast in as far as it got no SSB capability and has
not been equipped for automated fast tuning. This transmitter suffered a
failure of the transformer that produced the plate current in 2007, no
such transformer was in the Juelich spare sparts stock due to the design
variants (at least I understand this has indeed been checked) and a
replacement would cost about 100,000 Euro, an amount nobody was willing to
invest into the DX hobby (that's pretty much the reality now).
The mediumwave equipment consisted 15 years ago of a 100 kW solid-state
Nautel for 855 kHz, an S4003 (300 kW mediumwave version of the PANTEL
series PDM transmitters, housings similar to the S4005 shortwave
transmitter; this one was the first PANTEL ever delivered) for 990 kHz and
an S4002 (PANTEL 100 kW mediumwave, looks like its shortwave brother
S4001) as aux. Nowadays two Transradio TRAM transmitters are used as
mains.
And meanwhile word has it that in the last days there were some power
supply problems with the 6190 kHz facility, but some necessary repairs
have been done and now the old tranny should again happily churn away.
(Kai Ludwig-D, SW TXsite July 6)
I hear a weak signal from Belarus Radio on 6190 kHz at midday, but aside
from that the upper part of the 49 mb is now totally empty.
(Olle Alm-SWE, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 4)
I assume you think this site has said its last good bye for SW Txions on
6190?
(Ian Baxter-AUS, SW TX site, July 4)
Not definite yet. It was always a toy of the engineers, to spend this unit
alive on air. Maybe they wait for spare parts at Berlin Britz shortwave
service site now?
Some guy of German DXers scene will ask former Britz pensionist engineers
soon, who worked at the site in the past ... Wait and see.
file:///Z|/DOKUMENTATION-BULLETINS/WWDXD-BCDX/2010/BCDX971.TXT[11.06.2012 10:40:11]