Balun Raising

What a way to end the year.

Last week we connected the coax lines from the filter around to where the balun would be connected.  Then the procedure of putting the balun up resembled putting the filter in place.

Brian is the forklift operator.  He did all the heavy lifting.  This is the biggest part of the RF output. The balun weighs about 600 lbs and is 12 feet long.

                                     

 

 

 

 

Perry, Sterling, Jim, George and Mike secured the bracing in place as it is put into position. 

 

 

                                         Getting this connected and in place is a milestone.

Filter - Let's Get Balanced

The filter unit of the balun assembly was put in place today.  It was a lot easier than the one we put in last year!  This time we had a forklift that we could move about in the TX hall. This cut down on time and manpower needed.

First the supports were put in place

Then the Big move came....

 

On The Move

It's been a long time that the the balun and filter units have been in their temporary storage.
Today we moved them into the building to get ready for installation.

Cooling Lines

Now to complete the flow of things is getting the Cooling lines completed. Work has been completed outside from the chillers through the duct room and walls to finally being connected to the cooling system of the transmitter.

  

And now the final process of getting some water in the system and checking for leaks.

 

 

Wiring

In the midst of the hardware installation is wiring everything up.

Feeding the wires through conduit to finally connecting components.  This is the real road map of putting things together.

Cooling System - Part 2

The second part of installing the cooling system is the chiller units outside.  
From preparation:

to moving:

to mounting the units.

Next is the process of ..... wiring.

Cooling System - Part 1

The first part of the cooling system work on the transmitter was to install the blowers.
This began with building/welding the frames and them mounting them to the transmitter. 

Finally mounting the blowers.  These units weigh around 300lbs. each.

Tube Socket

Much of the recent work on TX 7 has been to the tube socket and related parts.   As mentioned in the previous blog, some ceramic insulators had to be replaced.  We were able to fabricate them right here.

The air nozzle below the tube socket had to be replaced as well.  This was also fabricated right here.

With all the parts refurbished and replaced, the tube socket was completed and put together.

And finally... the installation of the power tube!

Cable Wrestling

Perry preparing the basket for the next pull

We realize that it has been quite a while since we updated this blog.  Not much had happened that related to the installation of the second new transmitter.  We needed time to catch up on other tasks.

Now we can report that work on TX7 has begun.  One of the first things that must be done is running the electrical wiring to the transmitter.  This is not a trivial task due to the size of the cables and the conduits.  It takes five people to pull one set of cables through the conduit.  Even with that many people, we wound up using a truck to do some of the pulling. 

We did run into some hitches with part of TX7.  Some ceramic insulators broke, so more must be ordered.  This put the tube socket rebuild on hold.  We have plenty of work to do without being stuck waiting for the parts.

The guys wrestling conduit and stiff cables simulataneously

Catching Up!

In the face-paced world we live in, who can’t attest to the need for “catch up” at times?   It is no different at KTWR!  More than a year of intense work focused on the transmitter project took its toll on the regular maintenance around the station, especially tasks like the antenna maintenance.  Hence, the quiet nature of this blog recently, which you probably have noticed!

Antenna maintenance is a lengthy process.   It starts on the ground with inspection of all the hardware for the tower guys, antenna drops and ground rods.  

The humid, salty environment we experience here is rough on this equipment.  Recently the tower anchors were dug up, inspected and repaired as needed.


In addition to the inspections on the ground, inspection must be done in the air. Many of the dipole wires need to be replaced due to rust. This is a tedious process, and one for which we covet your prayers for protection for the guys!