Transmitter
The Indian Ocean is so close!
Church in Kisosora
Repainting brackets
Preparing bad segments: cleaning, greacing it against rost
sealing it against rain
Reinforcing section by bandage
Reinforcing legs
Transmitter on air again for Tanga!
We arrived in Tanga
Kisosora around three o’clock in the afternoon on Wednesday 30th of November. We
greeted the pastor and started with our work immediately.
First we repainted
the reinforcement hardware fundi Macha had prepared for this antenna mast in Moshi,
because due to transport some of the paint came off.
While Deo was doing
this I went up the antenna mast to clean the bad sections, putting some grease on it to
prevent further rusting seating it against rain. And then we put on the iron bandages
reinforcing the pipes.
We got three points
on the antenna mast of critical rust. What had happened? Setting up the antenna mast we
used insulating tape to secure the antenna cables on the mast pipes. Unfortunately the
paint must have been bad under these three points. Now when the water running down along
the cable got trapped between the cable, Insulating tape and the pipe, and never dried
out. Even repainting the antenna mast over the insulation tape did not stop the rust
process!
The bottom of the
antenna mast got another problem: During heavy rains the sandy soil covered the mast base.
No one removed it. Until we came back rust had eaten the angle bars already. Since there
are round bars just above them, there is no risk in the moment. The third leg, showing
weaknesses, we reinforced by the angle bars carrying the antenna mast instead of it.
Now it is strong
again. But for safety reasons we should replace this antenna mast by a new one early next
year. Then we have to exchange the guy wires again anyway!
Even after moving
the transmitter to the Amani mountains, we still need this Antenna mast to feed the
program up to the Amani mountains from Tanga!
We were glad we
finished before night and the transmitter was on air again!
Martin