updated 7 August, 2010

Other Broadcast Equipment

Smaller Manufacturers of Broadcast Studio Equipment

BWD Test Equipment


BWD Test Equipment I have found many broadcast & TV stations using BWD equipment, especially oscilloscopes.
	The dual channel BWD 521 CRO is used at a combined AM & FM stereo transmitter site in outback Queensland.
BWD 262 Power supply: 12V 2A, 25V 1 Amp, 50V ½ Amp

Byer, Rola, Plessey, CEI Tape Equipment



byer 16 Inch Transcription Turntable Byer Industries made blank acetate recording discs during WW2. They also made microphorne stands and microphones. They were located at 8 Dorcas St South Melbourne, just down from St Kilda Rd. Max Byer eventually sold out to Rola and then built the *byer* motel at Holbrook on the Hume highway. That area of South Melbourne must have been an electronic manufacturing centre, 4 minutes walk from A&R transformers and Kingsley Radio. Electronic Industries Pty Ltd were in Park St & had Eclipse Radio at 11 ? St (where the Hammer Hall/arts centre precinct now stands) (I spoke to Mr Roudie in 1973 who said he was half of A&R, Anderson & Roudie)
	*byer "55"* The Byer "55" was a high quality portable tape recorder. All friction surfaces lubricant packed, no user maintenance, acoustically correct cabinet. It is 12 inches (305 mm wide) it used 5 inch reels. Byer also made empty tape reels. It weighs 8 kg.
	*byer 66* Full track professional recorder. Available with either full track of half track heads. This machine is an early example of a series of professional machines built in Australia for 30 years. There was the 66 series and 77 series which was very similar but with more features. These portable or rack mount machines were very solidly built.(heavy to carry) They featured variable speed spooling so that it is easy find and cue up the desired part of the tape program. This machine is on display in the office of Radio 3NE.
	Rola 77 Rola were eventually bought out by Plessey. For more information on byer industries Byer History Byer 77
	Cuemaster 77 Full track professional recorder. This machine is a late example of a series of professional machines built in Australia for 30 years. This machine was made by Consolidated Electronics. It is from ABC, was sold at auction is now at Dave Stuart's amateur radio station VK3ASE. Machines like this have been replaced by digital equipment, even in the home.
	The End of the Line. Cuemaster 77 Mk VI G The text on the lable says; "The machine is the last in the line of an incredible series of high quality machines manufactured in Australia over a period of some 30 years. The machines became legendary in Australian and New Zealand broadcast industries. This machine was built in 1977." Machine on display at the very interesting and friendly "Kurrajong Radio Museum", near Richmond west of Sydney. http://www.vk2bv.org/museum/
Consolidated Electronics Ind. Cartridge tape machines were used to play short, precorded messages such as station jingles and advertisments. The machine pictured is on display at 3NE. This is a record & replay unit. Many machines were replay only. I remember visiting the factory in Lygon St., East Brunswick, just south of Albion St in 1973. Consolidated Electronics's expertise lay in magnetic tape equipment. They even poduced a radio station automation system based on tape cartridges. It took up a small room.
	CEI Cart machines in use at 2WEB Bourke in 2010 Single Record/Replay machine and 4 replay cartridge machines
Plessey CT80 Cartridge Record/Replay Machine Plessy bought out Rola and continued to make the Rola series of tape equipment. Plessy also made a series of Cartridge Tape machines. The CT-80 could play smaller and large cartridges that would run for up to 30 minutes. Plessey also marketed Melbourne made Rola and Plessey tape equipment in UK. Many were exported for use by the BBC. Plessey CT-80 & Rola equipment at 3XY BBC desk with Plessey CT-80 on top	CT-80 kindly donated by Mr Paul Taylor of 3PJ Broadcast Engineering.
	*Pyrox* Pyrox were a very early manufacturer of cinema audio equipment, tape recorders and also room heaters. I had an even earlier unit than this. It preceeded standardisation of tape machines; it had the magnetic coating on the outside of the reel not the later universal inside of the reel. No doubt many Pyrox heaters were used in broadcast stations, I won't go into that. The machine pictured is on display at 3NE. The earlier unit than this that I gave away in the 1970's to a young lad, Raymond Hutchinson. A few years later, on the train to Geelong, a university lecturer sitting next to me said that Raymond was studying electrical engineering. Decades later I ran into Raymond on the middle of a pedestrian bridge over the Yarra River; he became an electrical engineer looking after light houses for the government.

RME Broadcast Equipment


RME Radio Manufacturing Engineers RME Stereo Limiter This particular limiter example was used at an AM Stereo transmitter. RME based in Sydney's West manufactured various studio and transmitter site accessories.
	The RME units in use in northern New South Wales, includes top; Line amplifiers, line equalisation amplifiers, power supplies, on the bottom there are 3 monitor amplifiers.
RME mixer using rotary knobs and sliding faders. In use in Bourke and Charleville in August 2010.

TBC Broadcast Equipment

TBC Transmiter

TBC formed by the late Ian Hill out of the STC transmitter personnel
after STC stopped making Broadcast Transmitters.
The name plate on this 5 kW MF AM transmitter says
that they were based in Hornsby, a northern Sydney suburb.

The transmitter uses 3 by 4CX3000 U.S. made valves ("toobs" in American speak).
It is out of service due to the owner not wanting to pay for new valves.

4cx3000a

TBC at Geelong another was at Lithgow apparently

Left Inside top front.
The output circuit is based on an L-Pi network.

TBC imported about 2 US manufactured transmitters
then manufactured 5kW and 10kW units under licence.
Some HF, i.e shortwave, transmitters were exported to the Pacific Islands.

It is understood that some FM transmitters were also made.
Only about 10 or 20 transmitters were made.
TBC went into receivership in the mid 1980s.

Zephyr Products


zephyr mic
Zephyr Ribbon Microphone This microphone is in use at a small but passionate recording studio in Melbourne's West. There is also one on display at radio 3NE, others in South Geelong and also in Ormond in Melbourne at Dave Stuart's amateur radio station. Zephyr Products made a range of microphones from high end products to more common units suitable for public address and communications. Zephyr microphones were made in Melbourne's south east suburbs at various locations over the decades. In February 1955 they were at 58 High St, Glen Iris. In April 1955 they were listed at 118 Wattletree Rd In the early 1960s they were at 50 High St, Glen Iris. By 1967 they were at 70 Batesford Rd., Chadstone. They were also at 421 Warragul Rd Moorabbin.
	A Zephyr Products microphone stand. The microphone on it, shown for scale, is an Australian made "Rode M3" condenser microphone. Rode are exporting very well respected microphones from Sydney to the world. Review of Rode M3"
Line Isolation Unit (Stereo) by Zephyr Products. The unit is from 5KA AM Stereo transmitter site, Cavan Rd, Gepps Cross. Line isolation units are esentially to create electrical isolation between the line carrying the programme from the telephone lines in the street into the radio transmission site system. That way there can not be risk to the telephone system and its technicians from anything that may occur at radio the equipment at either end.

McCubbin

McCubbin manufactured various broadcast equipment;

Outside Broadcast Unit
Compressor Limiter
Telephone Interface


McCubbin Outside Broadcast Unit used by 3AW, Melbourne for Australian Rules.
McCubbin Compressor/ Limiter

Home Made Broadcast Equipment

Original 2WL Woolongong Broadcast Transmitter

The first broadcast transmitter
used at Woolongong N.S.W.

It was home made by the founder of the station.
2WL commenced service on 18 July 1931.
Possibly the oldest surviving broadcast transmitter in Australia.

Transmitter aerial output power is listed as 50 watts
on 1435 K'cycles in Wireless Weekly, 16 June 1933.
Studio was listed as 149 Crown St Woolongong.

Photo kindly supplied by Wave FM,
where the original Wollongong am broadcast transmitter is on display.

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