WMIK and WCPM Original Equipment and Technical Information 1948-1950
The following two ads are from a 1948 Broadcasting Yearbook. The original WMIK tower for 1490 KHZ was a Wincharger. Believe it or not, it is still in use at another station. I'll have a story about that later on. Also, the Gates transmitter in the lower right hand side in the next ad is either a BC-250D or a BC-500D. The BC-250D was used until WMIK bought out WCPM. At that time the BC-500D was used until it was replaced in 1962. (See photos below.)
Tal England's photo from October 1956 shows the Gates BC500D in the background.
Below are several pictures that were taken by Frank Folsom back in 1961. Frank became WMIK's chief engineer in 1959. The information on this page was also supplied by Frank who continues to engineeer radio stations far and near. His engineering firm is called R.F Labs and he lives with wife and son in Knoxville.
Most of the transmitting aparatus pictured is original WCPM equipment, while the studio equipment is original WMIK equipment.
The first three photographs show the interior of the original WCPM transmitter building. After WMIK purchased WCPM in May of 1950, the building would serve as WMIK's transmitter site until 1981.
Picture one shows the equipment rack and the Gates BC-500D transmitter.
Picture two also includes the station's Proof of Performance equipment. Looking from left to right, here is the model number and manufacturer of each item.
On the table is a Hewlett-Packard Audio generator, a Gates Gain-Set, and a Barker & Williamson distortion analyzer. The equipment rack houses (from top to bottom): Gates SA-390A Limiter, Gates MO-2639 Modulation Monitor, telephone patch panels, Gates MO-2890 Frequency Monitor, Gates RCM-20 Remote Control, program line equalizer, and a hand crank telelphone that linked back to the studio.
The condition of the original WCPM Gates BC500-D made it difficult for engineer Folsom to get good proof of performance measurments. Frank installed a new Collins 20V3 kilowatt transmitter in 1962. It is pictured in photograph three which was taken in 1962.
Photograph four shows WMIK's studio equipment rack as it appeared in 1961. From top to bottom the equipment is as follows: Karr Conelrad receiver/decoder, Magnecorder PT-63A reel to reel tape machine, Gates RCM-20 remote control unit, Magnacorder control unit, Gates Sta-Level, 3 throws of ubiquitous telephone patch panels, Gates frequency monitor, and Gates rack amp used to pipe music through the station, among other things.
Bill Sharp is seated at the controls in WMIK's main studio in photograph five. The console is a Gates SA-31, the turntables are Gates CB-11's, and the microphone is an EV-655.
Photograph six and seven show the production console and two good views of the control room looking through the three glass windows.
Bill Sharp is preparing to rip and read his next newscast in photo eight.
Here's Bill Baker around 1959 and a good view of the studio at the time.
Here's John Brock around 1967 and another good view of the studio. Notice the Collins cart machines.