Thank God !
Kidia0.JPG (31066 Byte)

Unfortunately the whiteans got into the wooden battery boxes

Kidia1.JPG (29973 Byte)

Kidia3.JPG (30310 Byte)

Those battery cells have a weight of nearly 800 kg!!

Kidia4.JPG (42348 Byte)

Now the car is stuck because of the broke clutch plate

Kidia5.JPG (32189 Byte)

Kidia6.JPG (35293 Byte)

You can see the gearbox has been removed to get to the clutch plate, and that all in the wilderness of the rain forrest

Kidia7.JPG (38467 Byte)

Kidia8.JPG (34680 Byte)

Kidia9.JPG (42128 Byte)

Watchmen`s office

Kidia12.JPG (27873 Byte)

Kidia10.JPG (32780 Byte)

We had to move the batteries to another place to keep the transmitter running

Kidia11.JPG (32476 Byte)

Kidia13.JPG (8600 Byte)

To be in the rain forrest means to be in the heavy fog of the clouds

 

We have got new solar panels to replace the stolen ones and got even a new battery!!

On Thursday, August 16th 2007, we went up to the transmitter site. The old battery was finished completely. We had to reset the solar controller to be able to start the generator. But because the batteries had such low capacity left, the whole system collapsed again at night!

Up to now the way up had been much too slippery to get right to the sight because of the heavy rains this year. But now we had no alternative: We had to bring up the new batteries already waiting at the studio since early this year

The director decided to hire a driver with his Landrover to bring all the heavy batteries. 

Therefore we packed 16 Cells of the new battery into his car and he took off with us heading the transmitter site.

Unfortunately he forgot to take his snow chains on the trip we badly needed on the steeper section. The tires slipped and the car did not move on. He tried it several times again, but finally the clutch broke and he had to park the car just across the way. Someone had to watch the car until we could come back the next day with a new clutch plate!

We returned to Moshi by foot until we got a lift home by the director.

On Saturday morning we took of wit the studio box car with another set of batteries and its Acid drums. When we arrived at the car in the rain forest the technician, who came with us, started to take the car apart immediacy, to replace the clutch plate.

Unfortunately it has not been possible to get up the second bunch of batteries, because of heavy rains started right after the first one was up and we had to take them back to the studio.

After some days this driver refused completely to bring up the rest of the batteries, because he worried about the safety of his car.

Another driver with another car got hired, and he managed to bring up all the new battery cells and take the old ones down.

Here is a short video about one of the trips

Here is a short video about returning the solar plates

Now the transmitter is on air again with 100-200 Watts, without any problems!

Thank you Mission One World and the many donors collecting all the money needed for the spares!!

 DSC02948.JPG (61682 Byte)

Back on air!!!

 

 

 

back to start page