Happy Days Are Here Again!

When dry season comes on Guam it is evident.  In just a few short days the switch to dry season was obvious.  The dry breeze along with very warm days and very cool nights has set in.  The ground has gone from 'smushy' to showing dry cracks in the soil.  It is quite amazing.

So FINALLY after 4 1/2 months we have been to get the concrete pad poured. The weather was perfect. Three trucks of concrete and nine volunteers showed up to help our site staff accomplish this task.

It was a joy to have everything come together. What an encouragement to have so many helping hands. What a joy to see this part of the project done with  such enthusiasm.

Rain Check

This update is L-O-N-G overdue.  To complicate things I had a browser issue... so now finally let's begin some updates! 

We have been catching up on a lot of things, but the hardest has been getting set up for the concrete pour!  Our storm season continued to drench us through the end of 2013.  Praise God we didn't have to deal with a typhoon!  And then when 2014 arrived, instead of the usual dry part of the season change, we received lots of rain.  We were within less than an inch of the all time record for rain in January.

                     So... at least other parts of the antenna switcher project continued.
In January Jim focused on welding, and with the construction team has produced  (now 7) of the switcher stands.

Also the antenna switcher units have all been completed at HCJB Engineering in Elkhart Indiana.  They were shipped out to Guam on Jan. 20.

The Stormy Weather Begins

The temperament of the weather has been a factor to our delay with ground work for the antenna matrix project.

We had the cement trucks ready to come on September 19.  The night before and into the 19th we had a tropical storm develop around us and bring 10 inches of rain that day and another 6 inches of rain on September 20.  Flooding and wind gusts brought road closures and power outages.

We even had a couple minor repairs to do as a result of the wind gusts.  The first was repairing an antenna guy wire that broke during the night of September 18.   We also had a drop wire to an antenna reflector screen come loose as the anchor was torn out by the winds.

And then... other maintenance items have taken priority for us.  One of our transmitter hall air conditioners needed repair.  While repair work was being done in the antenna field, the air conditioner also failed in our playout control room. 

We are definitely in storm season.  We will hope to update the blog soon with an update of getting back on track with having the pad completed for the antenna matrix.

Wall Building

We have been blessed with some dry weather during what is normally a wet time of year.  This allowed some of the staff members to build a retaining wall in just a few days.  The wall is needed to keep rain and mud out of the area in which the antenna switch matrix will be installed.  Erosion is a major problem on Guam, so we must think ahead to thwart its effects. 

 

As you see below, the wall is basically completed.  Concrete will be poured into the blocks for added strength.  There is some clean-up to do, but we are nearly ready for the next step.  That is to build a concrete pad for the switch matrix.  We hope to get the framing for the concrete done next week. 

 

Groundwork

We are pleased to be operating the new transmitters and stepping into this new developing and changing era of broadcasting.

 

Work continues to go on.  We are just starting in the process of a further upgrade that is linked to the transmitter project.  We're taking things 'outside' again.

 

Ground was just broken to get into the concrete work for the antenna switcher matrix we are just getting started with.

 

 

The addition of an antenna matrix will add the versatility of being able to use any of our antennas with any of the transmitters.  We have always had an antenna designated to a transmitter.  This gives us better capability of program placement as well as a more effective redundancy for contingency coverage.

Please pray for progress.  We have entered rainy season, but so far have had relatively dry weather - enough to get things started.  Staying ahead of the rain will be one of the key challenges.

 

Stay Tuned!!

 

TX 7 Dedication

Our TWR Guam Team along with Daryl Renshaw (Director of Asia Regional Services) and Shakti Verma (Broadcast Operations Director) had a commissioning and dedication time prior to Transmitter 7 being put on the air this weekend.

 

 

Dedication Team

Operations Team present

Transmitter 7 is now operating with a daily schedule of programming.

KTWR Guam Staff and families

Much appreciation and thanks is extended here to all those who participated in the Transmitter Replacement Project these last three years.  It is a joy and blessing to remember this long list of people who contributed to getting these transmitters operational and on the air proclaiming the Gospel of Christ.
We don't have pictures here of everyone - but looking back through this blog you will see most of them :-)

 

And... there is more to come!                          Stay Tuned!

 

 

 

 

TX 7 -- In the line up

We've just concluded this week with getting TX 7 ready for it's 'commissioning' and mid-season change scheduled for July 21st.  The many hours put into all the testing  have cycled down to:

 

1 - Getting the automation systems talking

 

 

 

2 - Getting the antenna connected and the slewing confirmed for the azimuth changes needed.

 

Tuning the transmitter to the various frequencies we can use it for.  Nine frequencies were set and tested.

And there it is -- TX  7 is ready for airing!