August 2009: Transmitter trouble

August 23, 2009 The transmitter fails this morning, just as the automated remote control commands the increase to daytime power. From Anchorage, Tom Busch talks general manager Ric Schmidt into coaxing it to operate at very low power, about 2,000 watts. After flying to Nome, Tom discovers that a jumper cable 100 feet above ground […]

July 1999: Rod Ewing paints the tower

July 21, 1999 Rod Ewing begins to apply a new coat of paint to the KNOM tower. How do you paint a tower? “The first thing you do,” Rod jokes, “is take a bucket of paint and pour it over your head, so you get that part taken care of right off the bat.” Actually, […]

DCC update: even more savings!

We so appreciate everyone’s support for KNOM and for our efforts to trim energy costs. With the cost of gasoline at almost $6 per gallon here in bush Alaska, you can understand why we are looking high and low for ways to save.

July 1971: Thanks to a nurse, a last-minute fix

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 (pictured, in the middle of the photo) has just escorted a […]

Warmer weather and a transmitter update

The temperatures have risen to almost 70 degrees! We are blessed with warmer temperatures and, at times, sunshine. We have great news. At the end of April, volunteer engineer Les Brown, longtime Alaska radio engineer Chuck Lakaytis, and maintenance specialist Rolland Trowbridge installed dynamic carrier control equipment at our AM transmitter site.