WERU radio station is back on the air

BLUE HILL FALLS — The mood at WERU, 89.9 FM, was cautiously optimistic Wednesday as the station entered its second day of problem-free broadcasting. On the air only intermittently since Aug. 10, the listener-supported, community radio station returned to full-power broadcasting at 1 p.m. Tuesday.

According to the station’s music director, David J. Snyder, a third component was replaced in the transmittor Tuesday morning. Since that replacement, the station has been able to operate without causing interference with the local hospital’s emergency radio transmissions.

Judy Burke, director of public relations at Blue Hill Memorial Hospital, confirmed Wednesday afternoon that the station’s return to broadcasting had not resulted in interference with the hospital’s paging system or emergency transmissions.

“The people at WERU have been tremendously cooperative” in working with the hospital, Burke added.

The station’s directors elected to cease broadcasting on Aug. 10 when informed of the intermittent interference with the hospital’s transmissions. Interference problems had apparently begun on July 31.

When hospital engineers could find no problem with their own equipment the first few days of August, the station was informed. After trying low power operation for several days with apparent success, the station switched back to high power. When interference problems resumed, the station’s directors elected to go off the air on Aug. 10 and search for a solution.

Separate components were sent back to the factory for bench testing during the following week.

The station resumed broadcasting on low power with a replaced component on Aug. 17, but with continued interference. Off the air for several more days, the second component was replaced but with the same result.

“The factory had a reason for suspicion with each component,” Snyder explained Wednesday, “but was not sure which link in the chain (of components) would be the problem.”

When the station’s engineers tried to replace the transmittor tube, the replacement part was found to be faulty. Engineers at the factory, Quality Engineering Innovation of Williamstown, N.J., found that another replacement tube from the same manufacturer was also faulty. A new tube was delivered to the station Tuesday morning.

The station has informed the FCC of its disruption in broadcasting, as required by law. “If the factory came in and did a spectrum analysis and determined that our transmittor is not the problem, then we could go to the FCC for help,” Snyder said.

The station’s volunteers are hoping those steps will not be necessary and that the faulty tube can be blamed for almost a month of frustration. The interruption in broadcasting has meant a reduced cash flow for the station, Snyder said, as the contracts of the program underwriters have had to be extended.

“Some members are suggesting,” Snyder added, “that if this situation puts us in a financial bind, we should have some type of fund-raiser. The idea is being considered. We’re also hoping that people who became new members during the last fund-raiser will remember to send in their pledges.”