The Co-operative Global Radio Memories Project
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The Co-operative Global Radio Memories Project
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After Basic training and Army Clerk school training I was sent to the 29th Engineer Base Topographic Battalion stationed at Camp Cavite across town from Sangley PT NAS. The 29th Engineers was a non-combat Engineer outfit assigned to what was called "A Post Hostilities Mapping Project." During WW two there were no maps or charts of the Islands and the US government said that were we ever to go back they wanted complete maps and charts of all the Islands. We had companies of surveyors and boatmen. The boatmen operated large freight ships on which the surveyors lived while at work around the Islands. Camp Cavite was their base of operations. I was assigned to Personnel and later to I & E (Information and Education).
The manager at the time was a tall, lanky Texas fellow named James R.(Tex) Gough. He was from Austin, TX. The station was only on the air in the evenings then from about 4:30 till about 10PM. The equipment was very primitive. It consisted of a Bogen Public Address system amplifier and two "antique" type variable speed turntables on a make shift plywood desk. The transmitter at that time was what was called a "Bastardized" aircraft transmitter converted to operate (with a variable frequency oscillator) at 1300 KC. The antenna was a long wire that ran from the top of the quonset hut to the top of a nearby water tower.
After working like that for a number of weeks, Tex (the station manager) got word from AFRS in Los Angeles that they were going to send us Forty Five thousand dollars worth of brand new commercial broadcast equipment. It was to include a Gates Speech input console (which you can see in the picture), three commercial-style broadcast turntables, microphones, a Stancil/Hoffman rack mounted tape recorder, and a magnacorde tape recorder. Also, they were sending microphones and two Hammerlund Super Pro model 600 Shortwave receivers. We also were to get equipment racks to mount the stuff. They said the broadcast transmitter was to come later.
He and someone else came over to Camp Cavite and got an appointment with our Base Commander, and proceeded to explain to him how I had been working with them on my off duty hours for weeks, and now they were promised all this new gear and they planned to be on the air full time, and that it would be nice if the Army could be represented there. The officer-in-charge of the I & E section where I worked was consulted, and he then asked the two other guys I was working with if they could get by without me.
They said they believed they could and I was given a special pass to let me travel freely between the two bases. Tex came over with a pickup truck and moved all my gear over to the Special Services section at Sangley. I spent the rest of my hitch there at Sangley, only going back to the Army base once a month to get paid.
Glass was appropriated for the windows and the studios and control room laid out. At the time they were building a new EM club on the base and tearing down the old one. We got the celotex sound proofing squares from that to re-use in our studios and control room. We had the help of the Chief Engineer from Clark AFB whose name was Allan Dieterle (Dee-terr-lee). He stayed with us for a couple of weeks to supervise the installation of all the gear. The original Chief engineer at KTLG was named L. E. (Lee) Faust, but he was later replaced by one Jack Permes (PER-MEES).
The time I spent there working with the great crew at KTLG is among my most pleasant of memories. I treasure the pictures, copy of the dedicatory program and other things I have among my most valued possessions.
Author Matt McGuigan formerly worked at KTLG Radio Sangley. Jim [Tex] Gough writes to us: Just took a look at your wonderful site. I do need to clear up one thing however. I was stationed at NAS Sangley Point in the PI in 1951. The Special Services officer, Lt. Ray Novelli called me in and asked if I had any radio experience. I said "yeah" and he instructed me to build a carrier current radio station in a quonset hut across from the Administration Bldg. I found someone who could build a transmitter and we scrounged up enough equipment to go on the air shortly afterward. I was the one who built and managed Radio Sangley for it's first two years of operation. I also was the one who got AFRS approval to use the call sign KTLG. I hired Matt McGuigan who did the nice article but have no knowledge of the man who claims to have been there in the beginning. Jim Gough..retired advertising executive, Austin, Texas January 30 2012 This story was originally contributed to U. S. Naval Station Sangley Point which we recommend for readers wanting to know more about the USNS at Sangley Point, Philippines 1898-1971 and life for those who lived and worked around the base. The site is maintained by Loren Stiegelmar. This content is not to be reused in any format without permission from Loren Stiegelmar If you enjoyed this article, you'll also enjoy 'Starting Radio Sangley' by Louis McClure Snr. |
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© Radio Heritage Foundation 2004 - 2013 with thanks to: 
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 "KTLG Sign")
 "KTLG Building")
 "Al Copeland")
 "KTLG Equipment")
 "KTLG Staff")
 "KTLG Transmitter")
 "KTLG Transmitter")
