[A-DX] Fw: neu CESTRON Berlin, Ampegon bankrott, ? Schweiz - Schifferstadt(exBBC Mannheim Thomcast), plus exTRANSRADIO AEG-Telefunken Berlin August 17, 2019

[Wolfgang Bueschel]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <>
Sent: Saturday, August 17, 2019 11:59 AM
Subject: neu CESTRON Berlin, Ampegon bankrott, ? Schweiz - 
Schifferstadt(exBBC Mannheim Thomcast), plus exTRANSRADIO AEG-Telefunken 
Berlin August 17, 2019


> https://ampegon.com/de/produkte/kw-rundfunkantennen/
>
> da kommen erste Meldungen über den Bankrott von Ampegon herein.
> Und die Übernahme durch eine Kurfürstendamm Büro Firma:
>
>> Das Unternehmen CESTRON International GmbH gibt die Übernahme von
>> strategischen Vermögenswerten von Aktionären folgender Unternehmen
>> bekannt:
>
>>  a.. Ampegon Antenna Systems mit Sitz in Ludwigshafen
>> (ehemals Thomson Broadcast) und
>
> <  b.. AM Broadcast GmbH
>>  (vormals Transradio und Telefunken SenderSysteme AG)
>>  mit Sitz in Berlin.
>
>
> Vor 4 Wochen wurde in Nord-Ost USA an der Kanada New Brunswick Grenze
> wieder eine drehbare Ampegon Kurzwellen-Antenne für 500kW installiert,
> und man ist auf WBCQ 9330 kHz noch dabei,
> sowie auf anderen Bändern auch
> die Antennen Dipole und Abstimmelemente einzumessen.
> siehe Text unten.
>
> The rotatable antenna manufacturer, Ampegon, went bankrupt and was
> bought by Cesstron (sounds like?). No, it`s Cestron. found it:
>
> http://www.cestron.de/
> Communication Engineering Services and Electronics
>
> News Release, Berlin, 14 August 2019
> CESTRON announces acquisition of strategic assets from Ampegon and AM
> Broadcast. . .
> http://www.cestron.de/News?PHPSESSID=d7f905e03b6f42ec0682119c7364e63b
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Glenn Hauser
> Sent: Saturday, August 17, 2019
> Subject:  Glenn Hauser logs August 17, 2019
>
> U S A. 9330.000, Aug 16 at 2030, S9+10/20 bigsig with C&W music ---
> the WBCQ Superstation is back! I was rather expecting this since Allan
> Weiner twitted earlier today that his show tonight would be on 9330
> plus the other four frequencies. Must be warming up for that. Two or
> three tunes without a break, but with considerable selective fading
> distortion, and some separate modulation/peak distortion. 2037
> mentions ``Classic Country`` and adstring for businesses in Woodstock
> (New Brunswick nearby, not NY!), about powerline construxion along
> I-95, Fredericton, Houlton, Aroostook Milling Co; 2042 weather in F
> and C, ``Kixx FM``, back to music. Kixx FM = WBCQ-FM 94.7, Monticello
> ME, 6/6 kW with classic country.
>
> 9330, another country music block ends ends at 2050, more adstring
> mentioning Houlton, Highway 2 exit 191, Woodstock. Makes us thankful
> that except when test-simulcasting the local FM, WBCQ SW frequencies
> are not full of commercials useless to us. Recheck at 2102, now it`s
> joined 7490.2 for `Behaviour Night` music, audiblizing this program
> for once, altho unfortunately I do not have time to keep listening to
> it. 2332 recheck, again with ``Kixx FM`` country music.
>
> 9330, at 2359 Aug 16, program switching briefly with what sounds like
> ``radioserpentine.com`` but must have been the scheduled on 7490
> ``Radio FKB Sermon Time``! Then 0000 UT Sat Aug 17, cut to ``William
> Tell Overture``. Yes, now I can tell it`s // JBA on 7490v, 6160v and
> 5130v. He soon confirms 9330 is on with the full 500 kW. This week I
> won`t have to strain to hear it on 7490. ``Tom is kinda like the CE of
> the Super-station``. Kinda?
>
> Anyhow, they`ve got the SS back on air after a month, despite all the
> problems with it he was complaining about last week, and more this
> week: It runs on Winders 10. Needed to sit down when the first
> electric bills arrived, in 5 or 6 figures (meaning: $100K, more or
> less, a month?). Is replying to usual caller. Confirms 9330 is now on
> the same 245 degree azimuth as all the others. During the earlier test
> this afternoon, AW was checking various SDRs and found it was getting
> in well to Iceland, Europe, South Africa, Vancouver BC, etc.
>
> The rotatable antenna manufacturer, Ampegon, went bankrupt and was
> bought by Cesstron (sounds like?). No, it`s Cestron. found it:
>
> http://www.cestron.de/
> Communication Engineering Services and Electronics
> [now what would that be in German and acronymed?]
>
> News Release, Berlin, 14 August 2019
> CESTRON announces acquisition of strategic assets from Ampegon and AM
> Broadcast. . .
> http://www.cestron.de/News?PHPSESSID=d7f905e03b6f42ec0682119c7364e63b
>
> AW says Cestron has $300K worth of spare parts for WBCQ which he hopes
> to be able to get. Another problem is that WBCQ has NO documentation
> about the antenna. Cestron is rehiring most of the old Ampegon
> engineers, and hopes they will come to WBCQ by end of August and get
> to work [earlier info was that WBCQ would have to pay for their
> airfare and lodging.]
>
> The antenna will cover all bands 5.9 to 28 [sic] MHz, but each
> frequency must be pre-programmed into it with proper antenna tuning
> unit settings, etc. Need documentation on exactly how to do that
> correctly.
>
> It`s all servo-controlled. More AC on the transmitter has been
> installed. AW would still prefer plate modulation. Tom replaced power
> supply modules. Something about ground-strapping required for
> lightning protexion. All this brand-new equipment should have been
> under warranty, but that went away with the bankruptcy, which he hears
> was not a ``nice`` transition.
>
> Question, what is the reflected power of the 500 kW? No more than 2
> kW, and it has to be that low. Is it safe to be near the antenna? Yes,
> no problem since you are under the beam which is going out at an
> upward tilt of 10-15-20 degrees.
>
> He starts to talk about Woodstock (NY, not NB), at 0021, but of course
> interrupted by another caller, gets into political discussion which he
> often says he is trying to avoid.
>
> If that was too much for you, here`s John Carver`s summary:
>
> ``Tonight's show started on time. This evening I'm listening on 6160
> as 7490 had a very poor signal. Moved to 5130 when some hets started
> on 6160 and eventually moved to 9330. Allan states that they're on all
> five frequencies this evening including full power on the new
> transmitter. First phone call at 0007 from Freddie. Next call at 0016
> was a prank call. Another phone call at 0022 interrupted a discussion
> about Woodstock. Phone call was about Trump.
>
> Back to Woodstock talk after the call. Phone call at 0053 with a
> question about whether or not SW stations had to pay royalties on the
> music they played. Reading of emails at 0101. Closing prayer at 0107
> and program was off the air at 0110. No new information on the
> superstation this evening. Just a rehash of old information. John
> Mid-North Indiana`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
>
> This report despatched at 0434 UT August 17
>