Posts Tagged ‘transmitter’
AM Transmitter Update
The hardware is purchased, and now, it’s time to install it: the KNOM mission is moving forward with preparations for a new AM transmitter.
Read MoreTransmitter Replacement Update
KNOM’s AM transmitter is overdue for a replacement. A recent grant from a regional Alaska nonprofit puts the station within striking distance of the funds needed for this crucial overhaul. Can you help?
Read MoreThe Challenges of Staying On-Air
When a very rare failure occurred at our AM transmitter in late January, thousands of listeners lost access to our station. It took extraordinary measures — and support from near and far — to get us back on the air. The event also underscored the importance of our efforts to renovate our studios.
Read MorePreparing for winter
We’re at the start of our long, sub-Arctic winter. As rain and mud turn to snow and ice underfoot, we, like our listeners, are taking all the steps you’d expect to prepare for the colder months to come.
Read MoreAugust ’09: “Come back soon!”
August 23, 2009 The transmitter fails this morning, just as the automated remote control commands the increase to daytime power. KNOM general manager Ric Schmidt coaxes it to operate at very low power: about 2,000 watts. The reason for the problem was a lightning strike that severed the jumper cable 100 feet above ground. Due to high…
Read MoreJuly ’71: A last-minute hardware swap
July 13, 1971 One day before scheduled sign-on, a copper strap burns apart in the Antenna Tuning Unit, removing the antenna from the transmitter. Six small resistors burn in the transmitter’s final section. In isolated Nome, they are impossible to replace. However, support nurse Kitty Orris has just escorted a patient to Anchorage, where she…
Read MoreA DIY solution for an askew building
We’ve been working hard to stretch our financial resources. Sometimes, that means being creative in problem-solving, even when the ground is literally shifting underneath us – as it has, in recent weeks, at our AM transmitter site. KNOM’s AM transmitter building and tower sit on the outskirts of Nome, about 3 miles east of town. From one season to…
Read MoreJune ’87: Fixes at the transmitter site
June 8, 1987 Chief engineer Timothy Cochran and general manager Tom Busch extend the 120 ground wires at the AM transmitter site to 320 feet, 1/4 wavelength at KNOM’s frequency. Because of a shipping error back in 1971, the ground wires had been a hundred feet short for 16 years, but the money is finally in place…
Read MoreEngineer’s corner: “Shake, shake, shake”
As promised in last month’s edition of the Static, we’re happy to present the latest on KNOM’s equipment and technical issues with a new segment – the Engineer’s Corner – courtesy of volunteer engineer Rolland Trowbridge: On one morning in early May, the transmitter-to-studio data link, or TSL, quit working. This link allows volunteers at…
Read MoreApril 1999: A stormy Easter
April 4 (Easter Sunday), 1999 The weather is fine for Easter egg hunting today, but at nightfall, a blizzard suddenly kicks up. The wind blows so hard at KNOM’s transmitter site that it holds the shutters for the exhaust fan closed. By the time Les Brown and volunteer Michael Warren make it to the building…
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