This is the Bauer Equipment of
The Broadcast Archive
Maintained by:
Barry Mishkind - The Eclectic Engineer
Last updated 5/4/07
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Bauer Transmitters, Inc. 10870 Pelicano Drive #252 El Paso, TX 79935 Phone: (915) 595-1048 Fax: (915) 595-1848 |
Fritz Bauer started building transmitters bearing his name in 1955. His first product was a 1 kW transmitter designed for export. In 1959, the FCC decided to allow Class IV (Now Class C) stations to operate with 1 kW in the daytime. Bauer, along with Bob Hammett, Ed Edison, and Paul Gregg, saw the potential need for 1200 transmitters, capable of operating at 1000 and 250 watts. This brought to birth in late March 1960 the famous Bauer 707 transmitter. The plan was for the transmitter to be assembled by the local engineer, and then factory personnel would come out and test it. Over 400 were sold in ten years, some of them still in service. The kit was so well made that one 707 was even assembled on the NAB show floor by a Kelly Girl!
Among the many firsts for the Bauer companies were the first transmitter with solid state rectifiers, the first solid state FM transmitter, and more.
Bauer also manufactured audio consoles, and was an early maker of torroid RF samplers for antenna current sampling.
Granger & Associates bought Fritz Bauer' Company and it was later merged into Sparta-Cetec. The company variously operated under the names Granger, Sparta, Cetec and Elcom Bauer (with Jim Lawrence "L-Com"). Founder Fritz Bauer retired in 1960 and died in 1961. Another founder, Paul Gregg, has operated the company in El Paso since 1993, providing a connection from the past to the present. His website is www.bauertx.com
Yes -- the FB-1000J was the first commercial model Fritz made -- previous transmitters were
always re-builds or converted police band transmitters. Fritz made some of the FB-1000J's
in Woodside, Cal. before he moved to San Mateo. The FB-1000J was always made in the
"garage". He built about 25 over the yearusually at a time. Randy has the call letters right --
KVRE was the original call.
Transmitters:
AM transmitters:
| 1972 | 700 | ||
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10 W | late 1970s |
SS-10A Drive-in movie theatre transmitter. Made for Cinema Radio by Sparta-Bauer in the late 70's . |
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50 W | Broadcaster - early 1960s.
Many Viet Nam broadcasters remember this one. |
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1 kW | 1960 | 707 - WERL, Roanoke; WIZO Franklin, TN Chester Leediker's pix from KIVY |
| 1 kW | 1972 | 701 - First to use 4-500A tubes | |
| 1 kW | 1973 | 701B - Solid state up to the finals | |
| 3 kW | 1974 | 703 - used 4-1000 tubes | |
| 5 kW | 1976 | 705 - used 4CX5000 tubes | |
| 10 kW | 1976 | 710 - | |
| 25 kW | 1965 | 725 - used 4CX20000B tubes (two 12.5 combined? (Hultsman???) | |
| 50 kW | 1983 | 750 | |
| 1 kW | 1956 | FB-1000J FB = "Fritz Bauer" (J = Jeanelle Bauer) | |
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5 kW | 1960 | FB-5000J The
first high level plate modulated tetrode
(4CX5000). KKSN - Vancouver, WA |
| 5 kW | 1965 | FB-5V Modulators used 4CX5000s (V = Victoria) | |
| 10 kW | 1965 | FB-10J | |
| 15 kW | 1965 | FB-15 |
FM transmitters:
| Model | Power | Year | Misc. Remarks |
| 607 | 1.5 kW | 1966 | The first FM xmtr to use 3-400Z tubes. |
| 603 | 3 kW | 1967 | #101 to WVBR-FM, Ithaca, NY. |
| 601 | 1.5 kW | 1968 | The first FM xmtr to use the 5CX1500A |
| 602 | 2.5 kW | 1968 | The first 2.5 kW FM xmtr in the industry. |
| 603-5 | 5 kW | 1968 | Used two 5CX1500A tubes. |
| 603B | 3 kW | 1973 | Grounded grid |
| 605B | 5 kW | 1973 | Grounded grid - 3CX3000 |
| 610 | 10 kW | 1975 | Grounded grid - 3CX10,000 |
| 620 | 20 kW | 1969 | Grounded grid "Stripline" - WKES |
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25 kW | 1975 | 625 Replaced the 620 |
| 650 | 50 kW | 1978 | Two combined 625s - included a built in dummy load. |
| SS250 | 250 W | 1975 | The first Solid State Transmitter ever made. |
| 605FAT | 5 kW | 1986 | Frequency agile! (Originally built for Swedish Air Force. |
| 605C | 5 kW | 1987 | single tube - 4CX3500 |
