Travel Report forTanga:
5.-10. April 2009 |
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Teabreak at hedaru Lunchbreak in Korogwe Lore is cleaning the transmitter hut. A rat has build its nest into it and made everything dirty Taking old antennas apart Lowering the top pipe with a winch Sanding the mast Lunch break in the shadow Supper in the swimminc club Antennas newly painted and elements replaced by aluminium tubes The primer has to dry first before we can overcoat the mast Amadeus starting the overcoat ... and nearly finishing it
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Amadeus, our paint
specialist, Lore Prisca and Martin travelled to Tanga on April 5th. The aim was to repair
the Tanga booster station antennas and to repaint the antenna mast, since the corrosive
weather had destroyed a lot of it. We started on Monday
morning by taking down the old antennas. First the telemetry antenna. Its feed match had
been destroyed by picking birds. Then followed the receiving antenna whose elements had
been eaten badly by rust, since at that time no aluminium pipes were available. Then we took down the
transmitting antenna on the top by lowering the pipe on the top with a pulley. We were
very glad we could open almost any screw in spite of the aggressive weather. We replaced the
transmitting antenna immediately. But the other antennas had to be taken apart first,
sanded, painted by primer, then overcoat, and then the newly prepared elements fitted on
them before we could return them up the antenna mast once again. In the mean time,
Amadeus sanded the whole antenna mast, and painted it with primer. After it had
dried, we could replace it, and Amadeus could paint the over coat. The over coat was
drying very slowly, and we wanted to make sure everything was working before we could
apply it, that nobody had to go up the mast again. We got many phone calls
from listeners asking us how long it would take until we could finish. Unfortunately we
could not get any signal from the feeding station in Mlalo. Several phone calls revealed,
that the electricity bill was not paid and it was cut. One listener on the
phone at least could ask a friend in Mlalo to return electricity by a short time, and
everybody in Tanga was glad about it. Unfortunately heavy rains started in Mlalo and the
electricity was cut again... We found the battery of
the telemetry unit dead, and it also destroyed its charger, because the electricity was
turned off for a too long time, while struggling to pay the electricity bill. But finally
paying a new battery and charger now is more expensive than the electricity saved... On Thursday we passed by
the Electricity company's office to apply for a separate electricity meter. This will help
to know exactly how much electricity is used on which end. After signing the forms at the
studio the pastor will follow up its installation. We brought Amadeus to the bus stand, since he wanted to stay with his family during Easter. We stayed at the beach for the Easter holidays and Lores Birthday on Tuesday, and returned on Wednesday to Mosh. Martin Ahnert.
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