BC-DX 841 04 Jan 2008 Private Verwendung der Meldun

If the TMW 2100D fails, then automatically the TMW 2050D standby
transmitter will go on air. The transmitter station will run unattended
and will be remotely controlled via a webinterface.
The station's power supply comes from a diesel power plant situated 10 km
away. With the drastic increase in the price of oil, overall power
consumption of the transmitting equipment was a key decision factor.
"Thomson transmitters were evaluated best with respect to overall
efficiency and lowest operating costs," says Johan Poulsen, Head of Radio
department of the Faroese Telecom. "We have been highly satisfied
throughout the years with the technical expertise and service from the
Thomson team. Their support has always been quick and professional."
The Faroe Islands is an autonomous province of the Kingdom of Denmark. The
economy is almost totally dependent on fishing and sheep-farming. Located
between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, the country
includes 17 inhabited islands, one uninhabited island and several
uninhabited islets.
The transmissions from Akraberg are especially important for the large
Faeroese fishing fleet, enabling them to listen to music, news,
entertainment and weather reports from their home town. The FM services of
the Faroese Radio do not reach the fishing boats operating in the Barents
Sea and Canada's east cost, whereas the ground wave of the 531 kHz medium-
wave transmitter does. The Kringvarp Foroya station is situated close to
the lighthouse, a famous landmark since 1909.
(RADIO NEWS, AUTUMN 2008 - Thomson Broadcast & Multimedia - #31,
via Rachel Baughn, dxld)
(1) The old transmitter, put in service in 1990, was an Asea Brown Boveri.
Later the transmitter businesses of ABB and Thomson-CSF merged to
Thomcast. Then Thomcast became part of Thales, now it belongs to Thomson
Grass Valley. In publications like the one quoted in dxld they make no
difference for the pre-Thomcast days and count both ABB and Thomson-CSF
transmitters as ones delivered by their company.
(2) and (3): I don't know, but this is related to the old transmitter
being "in the local headlines for a number of years": Foroya Tele, the
telcom company owning and operating the facility (it does not belong to
Kringvarp Foroya), declared itself unable to purchase new tubes (in the
sense of paying money, so it would be no surprise if they experimented
with cheap trash as the Radio World article suggests), resulting in the
transmitter falling dark for months. Now they get new equipment, with the
complete investment being subsidized it seems.
And all other reports specified the regular power for 531 as 100 kW.
Earlier this year the planned new installation had been described as an
active reserve configuration of two 50 kW units, but apparently this has
later been changed into a passive reserve concept with a 100 kW main and a
50 kW aux.
This is the best view of the site I found:
And a collection of nice Akraberg photos, with the antenna appearing in
some of them as well:
(Kai Ludwig-D, dxld Sept 9)
FINLAND 11720 SWR Finland in progress with EDXC. Listen to Scandinavian
Weekend R, Virrat, reports from the EDXC Conference in Vaasa on Sep 05-06
with the following schedule: 1602 MW 2100-2059, 5980 1600-1800, 6170 2100-
1600 1800-2059, 11690 2200-0700, 1300-1600 and 1800-2100, 11720 2100-2200,