Submitted by Tony Rykes , Robson Valley Entertainment Society
Recently all the TV and radio channels in McBride have been on-again-off again with annoying regularity. Occasionally this has been weather related, but more commonly it has been caused by low voltage to the transmitter site. The reason for the sudden voltage drop is still a mystery, but the various agencies involved are aware of the problem. The society draws power from a nearby Telus site, therefore Telus must investigate. Earlier this winter the underground power line to the Telus tower was damaged and the TV site was without power for a week, while Telus used its generator to maintain phone service.
The sites are only accessible by snow machines in winter and spring, which complicates repairs. When the snow has gone from the site, we hope to install some remote-access equipment which would allow for the channels to be reset remotely rather than have someone attend the site each time there is a problem. TSN and Space are out because the antenna cable is damaged and we’re awaiting a replacement. The most immediate problem—that of low voltage—is being dealt with; bad weather is beyond anyone’s control.
