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Radio Broadcast Technical Consulting and Sales
 10032 Island Drive, Brainerd, MN  56401

 

Engineer's Log of Mark W. Persons
New Transmitter for KNSP Radio
August 27, 2009:  Staples, MN, is a city that has pulled itself up by the bootstraps.  A town of about 3000 people, it is located between Brainerd and Wadena in Central Minnesota.  According to citydata.com, the population of Staples is German (30.3%), Norwegian (11.3%), Irish (9.6%), Swedish (8.3%), English (6.0%), and Polish (5.3%).

The KNSP Radio tower stands proud in the afternoon sun. 

I have been involved in the station since just before it signed on in May of 1982.  The original McMartin BA-1K AM transmitter has now been replaced by a Nautel J1000 Transmitter.  You see the new transmitter in the rack next to the McMartin.

This station is a part of the KWAD/KNSP/KKWS Radio group.

Power to both transmitters comes from the back wall in the building.  The box, at the upper left of the Square D electrical panel, is the Nautel surge protector.  There are two sets of cables leading to the surge protector.  One is from the transmitter and the other is RF, audio, control, and metering to the outside world.  The important part is that the surge protector is located near the incoming electrical and transmission line to the antenna, as seen on the left.        
Here I am, your intrepid radio broadcast engineer, setting power levels on the new transmitter.  Yes, I have a fairly decent suntan from some outside work during the summer. 

This transmitter runs 1000 Watts day, 500 Watts pre-sunrise, and 199 Watts at night.  Power level switching is handled by the Sine Systems remote control.

 

The stories go on and on.  Stop in again sometime.  I'll leave the soldering iron on for you. 
Mark W. Persons   Ham WØMH

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page last edited 09/25/2009