In 2007, WDFH received a very generous donation of equipment from National Public Radio.  This includes mixing consoles, reel-to-reel tape recorders, amplifiers, studio furniture, and other equipment.

We have been upgrading our equipment over the years.  In 2003 we received a very generous donation of reel-to-reel, cassette, and digital tape machines, among other things, from WQXR, the legendary classical radio station owned by the New York Times.

One elusive point has been our studio mixing consoles.  The console is the nerve center of each studio and allows us to mix, control, and monitor all of the equipment in the studio.  Good consoles are very expensive.

Until 2006, we used RCA consoles dating from the early 1960s.  (Don't even ask about what we were using before 1980 <grin>.)  These RCA consoles were built like tanks and it's a testament to the quality of their engineering that they still work, let alone continue to sound good.  But in recent years they have needed more TLC than before. 

For a long time, we've wanted to update these most central parts of our technical facilities, and the generous donation from NPR will finally allow us to do that.  As we work to rebuild our studios, these two Wheatstone SP-48 consoles, plus Soundcraft/MBI consoles from the BBC and three Pacific Recorders BMX-III consoles from WQXR and The New York Times, are bringing WDFH's audio quality and reliability up to date.

One of the two audio consoles donated by NPR, now destined for a WDFH control room