for Kidia Transmitter
Mt. Kilimanjaro as seen on the way up to our trtansmitter site in Kidia. We are most grateful the Church of Sweeden financed us a new generator for our transmitter site in Kidia on the slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro.
During rainy seasons it was extremly difficult to bring up the diesel for our emergency generator to our transmitter site up in the rainforrest on 2500 metres.
Therefore we looked for a space to install the generator close to our electricity meter in the last village bevore you enter the rain forrest.We thank Mr. Samburu so much that he allowed us to install our new generator in his garden and his watchman is also caring for it!
Foundation of the new generator
Temba is building the box to poure the concrete.
We are mixing the concrete
Ready to get hard!
The lorry came with the new generator
... and is lifting it over the fence!
Even the watchmen are glad about the new Box standing there!
We have to get the new Generator working when the old one is broken! And we have electricity cuts every day!
We start with the change-over Switch...
Fundi Macha drills the cabel holes.
We need more diesel for the new Generator!
Fundi Macha and Temba is building a temporally shed over the generator But he is designing an iron grill around it now we know where it has the doors to service the motor!
And we connect all to the electricity and the cable running up the mountain to the transmitter site!
The change over switch is working!
But after a could night the generator does not like to start again! What happened?
The glow plugs are not connected!
We connect them with the starter motor. Now it starts even with low temperature!
While we are waiting to get the new generator we have to refill the diesel drums for the old generator up on 2500 metres at the transmitter site. In October the forecasters tell us there will be heavy rains and we won´t be able to bring up diesel any more to the generator!
Two times 245 litres diesel for the old generator to be brought up again in the rain forrest.
refilling the drums...
But the generator did not start again! What happened?
The starter motor has been broken!
Just in time when the new one arrived!
A technician is taking it apart in town...
The permanent magnets got loose and got grinded in the motor! What now? A new one is 600 Euro!
Hopefully we find a way how to finace a new one since we need the old generator in case the new one fails!
Now Fundi Macha builds the shed of the new generator:
We buy the steel needed for the shed in town!
Nearly everything is available if you look for it in town
The iron bars arrived at the studio
Fundi Macha is making the diesel tank
And he is finishing the shed and grill
Our Guest from Sweden
... is seeing the progress of the shed
He also sees the Generator up in Kidia!
We are so grateful to the Church of Sweeden for financing the bigest part of the new generator!!