Altec 250SU Console Info Wanted

[studio luka]

wow!! thats looks incredible!

[red67sky]

I have all of the original documentation for the Altec 250SU along with a console that I used for years. I purchased the console from one of Elvis's backup singers, Gary McSpadin of the Imperials. Lots of history in the old cosole. Was working great 30 years ago when I took it off line but not working at this point. Extra power supply.

2 line inputs, 20 mic inputs (if I recall right). Anybody interested in this pup?

cc_play

I am also very seriously interested. I have a lot of spare odds 'n' ends for one of these for a proper restoration. Name your price. I am in the States (Southwest).

You can e-mail through the forum.

By the way, for the other chap who has one -- if yours is solid state, let me know. I might have a spare PS if you need it.

Greg

[studio luka]

"By the way, for the other chap who has one -- if yours is solid state, let me know. I might have a spare PS if you need it"


hi Greg, i have one thanks... do use the desk? how do you find it?

best

jim

[airboss]

OT:
Wow, neat looking stuff. Was Gates in the recording business too? I've seen a fair amount of compressor/limiter/mic pre/ etc but not consols. I think it was broadcast equipment.

[LICORNE]

OT:
Wow, neat looking stuff. Was Gates in the recording business too? I've seen a fair amount of compressor/limiter/mic pre/ etc but not consols. I think it was broadcast equipment.

If it's McCurdy your talking about. Most studios used McCurdy consoles and record player,
Most had round knobs.

With solid state mixers in the picture in the mid 60's. McCurdy tried to compete but for some reason survived only
with outboard equipment.

[airboss]

If it's McCurdy your talking about. Most studios used McCurdy consoles and record player,
Most had round knobs.

With solid state mixers in the picture in the mid 60's. McCurdy tried to compete but for some reason survived only
with outboard equipment.

Well, I dunno. McCurdy doesn't mean anything to me. I used to hang around with a fellow in the Seattle area that did freelance BC engineering after the FCC said it was no longer necessary to have an engineer on the premises. We often went on midnight runs to little 1 KW stations running old Gates BC-1J or K or L or whatever suffix they happened to have. He had an ENORMOUS collection of transformers, chokes, modulation transformers, and oil filled caps to get folks back on the air. He housed all this stuff in a house he bought for the purpose. Stuff everywhere. He knew every 1 to 5 Kw station within 300 miles and what they had. We went equipped with the most likely suspects. PCB's everywhere. No wonder my kids were born naked.

I recall seeing a bunch of Gates equipment and Collins. Never remember seeing any Altec at all. I still covet some of those old compressor limiter amps and mic pre consoles. I don't know what I'd do with it. Almost nobody uses those transmitters any more. I had a Gates BC-1J that I moved to 3870KC for Ham radio. Had to use a lot of compression (LA-2A) to stay within allowable bandwidth.......and use a super slow peak reading watt meter..... I got a picture of me and that transmitter somewhere. A pair of 833s modulating a pair of 833s. Everything pulled out on drawers but point to point wiring. He probably had (a conservative estimate) in todays market, over a $100K worth of Collins Ham gear sitting stacked to the ceiling all over the house. Is this OT....sorry. There I go again.

[LICORNE]

Well, I dunno. McCurdy doesn't mean anything to me. We often went on midnight runs to little 1 KW stations running old Gates BC-1J or K or L or whatever suffix they happened to have.

I recall seeing a bunch of Gates equipment and Collins. Never remember seeing any Altec at all.

HI!

Gates ran from the 20's until 1957 when it was purchased by Harris . Funny thing though, They made an anniversary series of Gates in 1998 that is Transmitters.

Your BC- 1J is well documented.

Now here are some pictures of some popular consoles

Altec 230B Console



......................





Altec 250 SU



Gates Executive






GATES BC 1J





Hope this helps demystify the sleuth of transmitter companies that existed in those days.

[LICORNE]

We have one of the most powerful transmitter in North America due to a clerical error.
CKVL fm now CKOI FM has a 307000 watt FM transmitter.

quote: By 1962, CKVL-FM increased its power from 10,000 watts to 307,000 watts omnidirectional from the rooftop of the CIBC Tower in Downtown Montreal. It is often believed that this high power was the result of a clerical error by the CRTC.

CKOI-FM - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia




.........................................

[airboss]

That photo of the Gates brings back fond memories. That one is in service but looks like maybe night power as the plates of the PA aren't in full glow. I put mine on casters so I could move it around.

The originals had a modulator driver composed of 807s. They had mostly been removed and replaced with more reliable equipment by the time I had seen any. Mine was driven by a McIntosh 35 watt monoblock (MC-35?) through a pair of western electric 600:600 transformers directly to the grids of the 833s when it was in service at 860kc. The previous owner had thoughtfully removed the Mac before he gave it to me. I used a really plain run of the mill transistor PA amp of about 100 watts to push the modulator in the same setup. Worked well, though I doubt it sounded as sweet as the McIntosh. I think I mentioned that I had a Universal Audio LA-2A with it. I sold the transmitter for $2400 to a guy in Texas that already had a Collins and several other Commercial rigs but didn't know how to move them to Ham frequencies. So like an idiot I included the LA-2A in the deal even though he said he had both Gates and Collins compressor/limiters. The Universal Audio is worth three times what I got for the transmitter then. 1999 maybe. I used crystal control to avoid accidents and stuck it at 3870kc. One of my projects for this summer is another LA-2 to use with a guitar pre into my Church's PA system. BTW, if any of you ever move a big transmitter that way, be sure and buy the 1% crystal instead of the 5%. The afternoon net I was on in Washington state had to tune to me as I was always several hundred hz off.

Later Gates were MUCH better built than the J model. The last ones had refrigerator style doors and a series of roller guide drawers with flexy wiring harness' for easier service. They also had expanded metal panels for more air flow through the unit. My guess is that some of those later ones are still out there in small local markets around the continent and the world for that matter.

The big FM transmitter is a mystery isn't it. DX at 97 to 108 mhz? I don't think so. EME maybe. Meteor scatter or that E tropo propigation. I don't remember much about the VHF stuff anymore as I never operated there anyway.

Does Canada still require an engineer at the transmitter at all times? They completely deregulated here back in the early '90s when more stable gear became the norm. Now the stations can be run by the receptionist. I think though that most big stations keep a good audio guy on hand.

[LICORNE]

The big FM transmitter is a mystery isn't it. DX at 97 to 108 mhz? I don't think so. EME maybe. Meteor scatter or that E tropo propigation. I don't remember much about the VHF stuff anymore as I never operated there anyway.

Does Canada still require an engineer at the transmitter at all times? They completely deregulated here back in the early '90s when more stable gear became the norm. Now the stations can be run by the receptionist. I think though that most big stations keep a good audio guy on hand.

I don't know about an engineer at all times. But your right about a good audio guy on hand.
Thanks for the info. Now I have a clearer picture about new transmitters replacing these old tubes.