[Texasrocker]

I recently acquired a vintage all -tube Gates Broadcast Model M-3689 remote amplifier mixed in with lots of vintage tube gear in a storage shed. It appears to be vintage very -high-quality 2-channel mic mixer/line amp combo that was once used for remote-broadcasts via telephone lines back to the Radio Station to cover live events?
There is a website online that covers most vintage Gates broadcast gear, but no info on this particular model I have here. Just a couple similar items mentioned, no photos. Cant find any such items offered on any ebay listings either last I checked.I emailed the website owner a couple months ago that covers this type vintage broadcast gear with no reply.Seems he has his items listed as "museum pieces" / collectables, and is a very well-known veteran NAB radio-broadcast engineer.

Since Wolfman Jack isnt around anymore, ( I figure he knew about these items?), and the other-NAB guy doesnt answer his emails, I would ask here if anyone knows abit about these type remote-broadcast items?

If nothing else, I can make a good-quality recording-studio mic-pre out of it to get some future use? With todays satellite uplinks technologies back to the broadcast-studios in HD, I suppose this old Gates audio item either belongs in a museum, or better-yet modified for a modern day applicable service in a recording-studio for a all-tube mic-pre? I dont throw anything away, I ask questions first, & radioshack sure doesnt have these type answers!! Your thoughts please? Any info/ thoughts would be highly appreciated!!

ol Tx,

[Music in a bottle]

I just want to know how you find these super cool items! You must live in a big city!

[Doug Houston]

TEX: you have a pretty neat little item there. You'll find that there is some interest in vintage broadcast equipment. Even I have an RCA 76B2 broadcast console, and some RCA and Collins remote mixers. They were often called "Networkers" by the broadcasters.

You will find little or no information in the usual sources. Much of the broadcast gear was tailored to the station engineer's specs, though the networkers were pretty standard, and the station bought and used them as they were sold from catalogues. In general, the Mike impedances are 250 ohms, into transformers, and the output of the networker is (I believe) 600 ohms. If you want to play around with mixing mikes, there's no better mixer.

If you've heard the broadcast of Clem McCarthy, doing the color (description) on the Hindenberg landing and fire, he would have been using a networker of some sort, and most likely a portable Presto disc recorder. Not sure of what mike he would have had, but it was probably an RCA dynamic of some sort.

Even the station's consoles (often called broadcast boards) were tailored to the station's unique requirememts. They are to be found in the catalogues issued by RCA, Gates, Collins, Altec, and a few others. My RCA board is right out of the catalogue. There were no custom features on it.

[Texasrocker]

Hello Doug. Thanks very much for all your very-knowledgable info you share here! I really appreciate your replys to these vintage items questions I have.
Since Im a veteran musician, I have recorded in many various high-end recording-studios over the yrs. Most of the studios now use very-expensive new production comp/limiters & tube mic-pres that are all rated RIAA compliant industry standard to be used with absolutely no-noise gain into modern digital recording equip. All the new mfgred tube-type outboard ( comp/limiters, mic-pres, etc. gear now uses DC filaments supply voltage to insure not adding any amt of hum whatsoever into the digital chain of their high-end studio-mixers, rec machines,etc.

To make further use of this vintage Gates remote-amp in todays recording world possible, will require all the necessary updates to bring the item into RIAA studio-standards modern day compliance.

As time allows, I can add a ac to dc bridge rectifier, fully recap the item, and see how it performs with the vintage Neumann U-47s,87s,Sennheisers,RCA broadcast mics,etc,.. as compared to some of the newer high-dollar tube mic pres once I get some of my rec-engineers buddies to give it a test-drive. The overall "noise-floor" of the type tubes used in this vintage Gates remote-amp will be under extreme scrutiny by the engineers Im sure.

Any futher info, suggestions, or tips you can share, is always highly appreciated!

I also have interest in restoring a vintage Ampex mod 375 ( 1952-53) recording studio rackmount type tube amp I also have here. It has very high-quality transformers on the chassis as well. This amp "synced" with the old Ampex large slanted rolling type desk type reel-to-reel recorders of the day via a constant 60-cyc socket to sync with recorders tape heads. Do you think this type tube-amp would be desirable for studio-use if properly restored also? Sounds like you have a museum also at your home! Wish we lived closer, we could have a blast going thru all these vintage items I drug in the shop recently!

Many Thanks!
ol Tx.

[Doug Houston]

I haven't seen what this Gates networker looks like. There were all sorts of variations on the offerings of the various makers. I'm trying to remember what the networker was in the AFN radio station I was in when in the Army reserve. Our console was a Gates, the tables as well, with GE VR pickups. We had a couple of Stancil-Hoffman tape machines; one in a coffin for portability. I was the station engineer, and it was a lot of fun. I learned a lot in those years. We had an Altec 639 mike, and a few E-V 635's. They were originally equipped with the big Cannon connectors, but we switched to the Cannon XL-R types. I've standardized on those connectors myself.

My own mike stash consists of an Altec 639, a few E-V 635's, and a couple other E-v's that I can't remember right here. There are also two RCA 44BX mikes, and a couple other smaller RCA's.

Back in them there days, I bought a new Concertone rack mount recorder. Sort of a poor man's Ampex, possibly. It was OK, but then, the bottom fell out of of prices for Ampex stuff, 7 of the big Ampex jobs, and the Concertone is gone. There is also a couple of Magnecords. I love that stuff. It's not used for anything professional; just for playing around with.....my idea of fun. I wonder if/how you'd add pictures to a message???

Beats sittin' on my mezzanine, watching sports.