This is the General Electric Equipment Section of
The Broadcast Archive

Maintained by:
Barry Mishkind - The Eclectic Engineer
Last updated 7/25/18

General Electric Co.,

Syracuse, N. Y.

GE BT-25 and 50 Series

General Electric was the manufacturing arm for the companies building early broadcast transmitters. Westinghouse was heavy into the control circuitry and RCA packaged a lot from these two.

The GE 50 kW Series:

pre-1935

GE (with some help from Westinghouse) built many of the early transmitters, especially the higher powered ones. In fact, RCA did not build their own transmitters until the mid-1930s, actually selling GE models with and RCA label. Even the RCA 50A and 50B/C were really GE transmitters with an RCA nameplate on it. It was after the breakup 

4BT-25-A  (1947?)

GE was first permitted, under the Consent Decree, to market its own transmitters in 1935. The first 50 kW unit by GE had the model number BT-25-A. Apparently only a few were made: WPTR 1540, WCKY, WPTR, KCBS, and KFRE (later KFIG)

The BT-25 was a high-level plate modulated transmitter. BT-25 used Westinghouse WL5891 tubes (one spare in each cubicle, total 6). 

 

4BT-25-A1

KCBS, San Francisco

Installed 1963

 

   
  

4BT-50-A 

The 4BT-50-A used Machlett 6427 tubes in a far more compact cabinet design.

Bill Frahm says:  KOA, KNX, WSM  had versions of it. Seems to me the 
   
     A1 was 480 V primary - A2 was 4400 V primary - A3 was 7200 V primary. 

I had the GE BT50-A1 in Boise, built in 1964 -65. Our A1 had the 4400 v inductor on the primaries of the three 480 v pole-pegs.

Other stations using the GE transmitters include KRLD, KPOL, WLS and others

 

4BT-50-A1

  

4BT-50-B

KPOL, Los Angeles  (BT-50-B???)
  

BT-50-C  BTC-50-C

There may have been a 50C as an upgrade from the 50B, but the BTC-50-C was built in Canada.

The Canadian General Electric BTC-50-C
  

 

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