TWR boosts power
of its AM signal to 450,000 watts
After a three year campaign to raise $300,000, Trans World Radio has announced it is going ahead with its reconstruction at the MW facility on Boanire in the Caribbean.
Announcing the major development in July 2017, TWR's CEO Lauren Libby said: "I am overjoyed to announce that the financial needs that we had, to upgrade the station from 100,000 watts to
450,000 watts, has now been met!”
“The higher power transmitter has now been ordered, the antenna array will be retuned in early July and the sign-on probably happen by the end of January 2018."
TWR made a last push on fourteen local radio stations in the USA to raise the final $80,000 for the Caribbean station With changes to the antenna, the signal is expected to blanket two major area: First, the signal over Cuba and the east coast of Mexico will be considerably enhanced, and secondly a much improved signal will be possible, reaching well down in to the Amazon basin and other parts of Brazil.
Previously the 100kW signal on 800 kHz AM covered a roughly omni-directional pattern, with a lot of power being wasted over the eastern Windward islands and out into the Atlantic - the signal was often regularly heard in Spain and Morocco after dark with just 100kW!
The extra areas covered taises the potential audience for the station to over 100 million people.
The increase in power will make TWR Bonaire the most powerful Christian radio station in the western hemisphere. “Over 220 volunteers have
visited Bonaire to work on the project. U.S. churches have been involved," said Mr Libby. "Large donors have given
generously and thousands of people have given toward the project.”
TWR is now plann ing a further campaign called Gifts Beyond the Goal, to help pay for the extra electricity needed to feed the 450kW station.
BOOK REVIEW
Broadcasting on the Short Waves
(1945 to today) by Jerome Berg
The beginnings of Short Wave radio can be traced back to the mid 1920s, when radio amateurs in the UK and the USA, found that the higher frequencies would 'skip' across the Atlantic at certain times of the day enabling them to be heard far beyond their local area.
Radio stations used this new phenomenum to rech listeners in other far flung countries, especially those countries which had an empire of countries around the world, such as the UK, Germany, France and Portugal.
`This book takesup the story of Short Wave broadcasting after World War II, The heart of the book is a comprehensive account of the shortwave bands and activity in each year since.
It is written from an American listener's point of view (ear?) and covers the new stations and looks at several important short wave events. The book also describes the various types opf broadcasters--international, domestic, religious, clandestine and pirate. It covers in some details the various private shortwave broadcasting stations that were particularly active in the United States. The book looks at the purpose of relay stations and how frequencies are managed. It also explains the concep0t of jamming, and describes some of the new and most promising broadcast technologies.
Since the end of the cold war in the late 1980s, Short Wve broadcastinmg has considerably reducied it improtance. This has been partl;y due to the spread of reliable television, thanks to the proliferation of satellite. There are many illustrations and a comprehensive index as well as a bibliography and notes to help with additional research. Available HERE for just £32.
