Evening star., 1941-02-03
5,OOO-Wott Trunsmitter
Put in Service by WMAL Today
Most Modern Broodcosting Equipment
Is Utilized at New Site in Montgomery County

should fail, another will be avail
able automatically.
The latest type of R. c. A. trans
mitter has been installed. The self
supporting triangular steel towers
spread about 38 feet at the bottom
and taper to about 2 feet at the
tips. Each tower rests on three porce-
lain insulators, anchored in rein
forced concrete foundations.
The aerial beacons on top of the
towers are visible from a great dis
tance, and these, with the two red
500-watt flashing obstruction lights
on each tower, serve to protect air.
planes. These lights are controlled
by photoelectric cells so that they
go on automatically when the at
moSphere reaches a certain stage
of darkness. Even on heavily cloud
ed days these lights flash from the
SUBMITS and sides of the trans
mitting towers.
The ground system consists of l.
inch copper tape at degree angles
some 600 feet from each tower
These strips are buried about 6
inches in the ground and total more
than 38 miles in length.
100 Acres in Site.
The station site occupies about
100 acres. The building, of Will
liamsburg Colonial brick, has a
frontage of los feet and depth OF
SO feet. The roof is slate.
The one-and-a-h a-half-story struc-
ture contains large transmission
room, a high-voltage room and g
workshop. The shop contains al
the tools and machinery necessary
to make ordinary repairs to any
part of the complicated transmits
sion system. There's an apartment
consisting Of living room, dinette
kitchen and bath, for the use OF
engineers and watchmen.
The south wing contains ample
space for future expansion of the
station. The transmission room has
an acoustical ceiling. The building
contains indirect lights and We
netian blinds.
Although there is a hot-water, oil
burning heating system in the build
ing, three large tubes in the trans
mission equipment generate heat
enough to make the whole structure
comfortable except during the few
hours of the night when the station
is off the air. There are exhaust
fans for dissipating this transmits
sion heat during the summer. There
is full basement.
The whole area around the build
ing will be Handicapped, making q
most attractive setting.
Installed Water System.
Starting from scratch, the builders
had to put in their own water sys-
tenn. A we'll 270 feet deep was drilled
and a pressure tank installed to
pump water throughout the build
ing.
The station was built by the NJ A
Leese Radio Corp. The building was
designed by Porter & Locke, Wash
ington architects. The structural
work on the building was done by
Marshall & Gongwer, local en-
gineers, and construction was by
the Charles H. Tompkins Co. The
design, installation and adjustment
of the technical equipment was
performed by Jansky and Bailey,
radio consultants. Construction was
started August IS. 1910.
WMAL, now carrying more power
full equipment, on February %. 1910,
was awarded for the second success
sive year the General Electric Co.
trophy for losing the least radio
time from technical failure of any
N. B. c. station. A plaque was pre-
sented to the station.
During 1899 the station lost to-
tai of l minute 212 seconds dur
ing $500 hours on the air
WMAL is a member of the N. B. C.
blue network.