Paul Adelberger in 1941
This picture shows Paul Adelberger, the chief transmitter operator for WPTZ, Channel 3 in Philadelphia. It dates from approx. 1941. I just spoke with one of the WRCV-TV transmitter Techs. Much to my surprise he has been retired now for 18 years. Time passes so quickly. He worked with Paul both at the Wyndmoor Transmitter site and at Roxborough. Paul has been deceased now for many years. The transmitter supervisor, Roy Moyer, is still alive as are a few of the others but many are now dead. Roy Moyer also was the remote supervisor and probably could tell you more about the remote truck photo but I don't know him or where he lives. I did meet him perhaps once in the 1950's. I was only a kid. Sounds pretty good to us, Charlie.
Broadcast Pioneers member Charlie Higgins e-mails:
My guess would be that the photo of Adelberger was taken at the WPTZ transmitter site in Wyndmoor from the looks of the equipment. Channel 3's transmitter was moved to Roxborough under the ownership of NBC when its call letters were WRCV-TV, I think in 1957.
I'm not certain about this but I seem to recall that WPTZ had a transmitter at the Philco plant in Phila. prior to Wyndmoor. That might have been when it was W3XE. The equipment shown might be all Philco and I'd bet it was all custom made because they had a great machine shop at Wyndmoor. Not certain but I guess later on WPTZ had an RCA TT5-A transmitter and when they moved to Rox they had a TT6-A, I think. The TT5-A had water cooled final amplifier stages whereas the TT6-A was air cooled.
Everybody here in Philadelphia had an RCA TT5-A in the early days and in fact WCAU had theirs until 1979-1980 when the new TT50-FH transmitters were installed. However, WCAU-TV had modified their TT5-A to be air cooled about 1974, I think it was, or perhaps earlier. We could no longer buy the 8D21 water cooled finals.
Looks like that's the best I can do.
John Malarkey, the original source of the photo e-mailed Charlie that Paul was a "real nice easy going man. He was at the xmitter from year one!"
From the official archives of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia
Photo courtesy of Test Patterns and Broadcasting Bits website
Original material from the collection of John Malarkey
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