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A number of my old antique radios use these, they were popular in the late 30s to the 1950s. I remember my dad had an AM/FM tuner in a stereo unit he built when I was a kid; the tuning center indicator was a magic eye, two bars that met in the middle when the tuning was centered on frequency. I've also seen some that were a miniature tube type that had a fan-like display. Certainly a fascinating part of electronic history.
Modified SVP-PRO preamp. 1x 12AU7, 4 x 12AX7.
Low voltage rails removed and replaced with SMPS +-12 rails, cooling fan added with its own +5vdc power supply. Vents added for better cooling.
WLW was the most powerful AM station in the US (and I think the world at that time) during the 30's, 500,000 watts, people used to receive it with their dentures.
The six mercury vapor rectifier tubes shown here were especially designed and built for use in the 500,000 watt WLW transmitter. They were the only tubes of their kind in existence and are rated at 450 amperes.
This photograph shows Joseph A. Chambers, Technical Supervisor of the Crosley Radio Stations, WLW, WSAI and W8XAL, placing in position one of the twenty great 100,000-watt water-cooled tubes used in the WLW 500,000 watt transmitter.
This station had two modulators which are basically audio power amplifiers and each was capable of putting out 180,000 watts of RMS power, how'd you like to have one of those for your bass? The modulation transformers for these (output transformers) weighed 35000 lbs each. These amplifiers modulated the 500,000 watt RF transmitter.
Here is the master control room of the 500,000 watt Crosley Radio Station WLW. All broadcasting lines from the studios in Cincinnati terminated in this control room.
Everything about this transmitter was huge. The tube assembly was as tall as a person (over five feet). The UV-862 tubes (all 20 of them - 8 modulators and 12 PA tubes!) went into sockets allowing water from the pond out front to circulate for cooling. The filaments alone took 33 volts and 207 Amps of current. (Other tubes in use included the UV-211, UV-848, UV-849, and UV-872.)
Transmitter antenna
Crosley Radio Corporation’s 1936 “WLW Model Super-Power Radio Receiver” This was made by the man who owned WLW at the time: Powel Crosley, Jr
Pictures of one from ebay that didn't sell (for $160,000.00)
In its completed form, the WLW Model Super-Power Radio Receiver indeed surpassed the Zenith Stratosphere model. It had 37 tubes, six speakers, and 75 watts of power. The cabinet stood 58 inches tall, 42 inches wide, and 22 inches deep. Everything inside the cabinet that could be was chromium-plated. The transformer coils, tubes, and speaker frames were finished in black and each chassis had its own serial number plate.
Tour of WLW with many of the old 500KW parts still intact:
