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Inside a 1938 Remote Broadcast Van
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This text has been updated to correct the AM frequency in the second paragraph. Here are two views of WWJ’s elaborate
remote broadcast truck in 1938.
The lettering on the exterior of the
vehicle shows the Detroit News radio station’s 920 AM frequency as well as
W8XWJ, the call sign for WWJ’s early ultra-high frequency high-fidelity AM
“Apex” station, which operated on 41,000 kHz. (To answer a reader inquiry: Thanks to the font used, the 920 on the side panel and rear door may appear to read 820 until we zoom in on the photo.)
The interior view shows a shortwave
transmitter on the left, with the W8XWJ call sign on the microphone. The
nameplate at the bottom says “The Detroit News Radio Transmitter — Power
Output: 100 Watts — Freq. Range 1,500 — 50,000 kc. — Designed and built by the
staff of WWJ-W8XWJ.”
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(click thumbnail)
Photos
from the Detroit News Archives
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(click thumbnail)
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Elsewhere in the vehicle we can see a
number of National HRO, Hallicrafters and Collins shortwave receivers.
The wooden cabinet on the right rear is
an especially interesting device. It’s a Finch radio facsimile printer, which
could be used to receive news bulletins and photographs transmitted by the
W8XWJ. (WWJ was one of the stations that experimented with facsimile
broadcasting in the late ’30s.)
These photos are from the Detroit News
Archives.
John Schneider is a lifelong radio
history researcher. Write the author at jschneid93@gmail.com. This is one in a
series of photo features from his collection. Find more under the Columns/Roots
of Radio tabs at radioworld.com.
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