The KKUA FM transmitter Installation

A late night maintenance visit to the KKUA transmitter atop the Ulupalakua Ranch on Maui.

KKUA is the Hawaii Public Radio station serving Maui, Moloka`i, Lana`i and West Hawai`i island. It operates with 56,000 watts from about 5,000 feet above sea level. The transmitter is operating with 19,000 watts output. Programming comes in via microwave from Honolulu, 105 miles west of the site.
The big white boxes with copper coaxial line on top is the three station combiner. This combiner is manufactured by Shively Labs in Maine. They also designed and manufactured the KKUA antenna system up on the tower. Right now, only two stations feed the combiner and antenna.

[@peter2tubeu]

Beautiful Video Demonstrations I have learn a lot. Thank you.

[@donmussell12]

It is manufactured by Broadcast Electronics of Quincy, Illinois. The rated efficiency is around 80%. The antenna on the tower provides a power gain which takes the 19KW and bumps it up to 56KW.

[@markarca6360]

I think this is the broadcast chain: Studio -> STL TX -> STL RX -> Audio Processor -> Transmitter (also connected is an RDS encoder) -> IPAs A, B,... X -> Combiner -> TX Antenna

[@donmussell12]

Yes it is a Shively star combiner. We use a six bay 6814 high power model. You can see it in other daytime videos at Ulupalakua that I put up recently. There are 7 or 8 BE10B transmitters running into a big panel antenna system with the combiners taking up nearly an entire container below. It's a big site, many many KW coming off of that tower.

[@sm7yes]

Yes, because of the dynamic reduction by the compressor which is also lifting the noise level, it is better to have it closest to the audio source.

[@donmussell12]

The Optimod 8300 (as well as the backup 8300) is at the studio in Honolulu, 105 miles west of this site. The microwave feed carries the audio and processing very cleanly, even at that distance.

[@billywheaton9952]

Combiners baffle me. The physics, mystifying.

[@kenenglish124]

Call Tech Support at the manufacturers. They will send you some information on combiner types and theory. Jampro sent me some.

[@chazjeep]

Thats a neat transmitter. Thanks....I have seen a 10-B used at a station which a friend works at. The AM/FM tower there is features in my video of guy insulators arcing. The ERI bays can be seen during the lightning flash. I think a Nautel V10 may replace it. Is this a Shively combiner in the right end of the building? Looks like several transmitters go into there and thats where goes to the tower. What type antenna and how many bays?

[@donmussell12]

The voltage sample board is the likely culprit. BE can help if you call during the daytime. More difficult for me, being 5 times zones west of Quincy.

[@letseeitplease]

would not want to be in that transmitter shack during a lightning storm, do they keep somebody in the transmitter shack to work on the equipment if something stops working, or do they just call out a repairman when something breaks?seems like there could be a lot of radiation inside that building,

[@m35a2lover]

I wanna hook that up to a CB radio and talk skip all over the world :)

[@michaelzehrfeld7766]

m35a2lover With a CB-Radio on a VHF-Transmitter?

[@wirelesschillan]

Por que esos tubos de cobre en vez de cable coaxial, por que veo unos medidores de presion en los tubos de cobre? saludos buen trabajo...

[@markarca6360]

What are those equipment found at 0:48, are those the IPAs (intermediate power amplifiers)?

[@Normaal07schoonebeek]

jah goeiedag eejm ik snap gien donder van wat die andern zeggen maar dis wel een beste zender duk mie

[@EdEditz]

Iets groter dan een Stentortje ^___^

[@djdominorgv]

I see the combiner, but where's the other transmitter?

[@larryfried7742]

Beautiful transmitter as far as aesthetics. How does it sound? Is it reliable? I was wondering : Do these new transmitters still throw a " Crowbar" if the output should have a problem? I mean the Final P A I would guess. Overall a very noisy nicely laid out , Air flow filtered installation. 73's

[@larryfried7742]

Dehumidifiers....Great idea! No arcing anymore in the Waveguide? I'll bet. What's the SWR? Ok on second look reflected pwr level is zero KUDOS!

[@antonnoz]

Sir, it's bettter if you've include in the video the air intake of the transmitter, electrical panels and commercial powe supply setup as well the generator set.

[@kenenglish124]

I see some ferrites there. Good to use them, even if some folks think they are "black magic". Do you use a thermal-imaging camera to regularly check the combiner and LPF's for heating?

[@donmussell12]

I use a simple IF thermometer for things like that. The entire site was moved to Haleakala in 2017, and at 10,000 feet, did not need the higher TPO (4 KW instead of 21KW). So heat is not a big concern any longer. But yes, ferrite is my friend up there. More lightning at the higher elevation.

[@douro20]

What kind of transmitter is it? Maybe it'll explain why the thing can make all that power with only 9.5kV on the plates.

[@cefe366]

por que usa tubería acaso usa agua o algún ácido

[@10rninjariderzx]

Waveguides? For FM stations?

[@douro20]

Where's the Optimod-FM? No FM station would be caught dead without one.

[@EdEditz]

Where's the RG58 cable to the antenna??? :)

[@nakayle]

It's hidden inside the 6" hardline.

[@TheTheo58]

RG58 coaxial cable would melt, could never carry nearly 20Kw of RF power. The center wire or rigid conductor inside this hard coax has to be huge

[@hqdefault]

Tal vez los cables se derriten.

[@berryreinds]

dis de andere versie van de kka . haha

[@ve3enx95]

0:30 Wow, that is some serious coax! It looks like the water main going into an office building! :-) Must be some pertty high voltage going through that! 0:56 What is the hose and pressure gauge for? Is it filled with nitrogen or something to stop it from arcing?

[@sircampbell1249]

Not very clean on wiring in back... and looks like site could use a cleaning ..

[@Hixxyclips]

Screw Optimod, they sound rubbish lol. You want an Omnia HD, the sound quality is much better and you stand out from the rest :-)

[@douro20]

Nope, sorry.