Our inspirational spot for the week:
Let us live in such a way that when we die, our love will survive and continue to grow.
Archive | September, 2012
Let us live…
September 1997: A solution for drifting snow
Longtime volunteer engineer Les Brown in KNOM’s Studio C.
September 25, 1997
Chief engineer Les Brown (pictured) has almost single-handedly built the extended fence around the AM tower, preparing for the mission’s higher-power, 25,000-Watt signal. Snow drifting has always been a problem there, and Les tries an innovative solution.
For (fence) pickets, he uses 1/2-inch plastic pipes, which he figures will be aerodynamic and won’t stop as much snow as wooden slats. It turns out to be an excellent decision. The needed material costs $931, and by doing it himself, Les figures he is saving the mission about $4,500 in labor.
Signs of winter, a missing girl found, and prayers for Father Armand
Father Armand Nigro, S.J.
The first dusting of snow has fallen on the hills just north of KNOM. Soon, the tundra will be covered with a carpet of snow and ice. With the change of the seasons, critical weather reports on KNOM can help save lives and keep families safe. We are blessed with this opportunity to serve KNOM’s listeners 24 hours a day, especially during the very trying winter months.
Recently, a 12 year old girl who had not returned home was reported missing to the Nome Police Department. An officer reached out to KNOM with an official announcement detailing her description and contact information. After several hours of frequent announcements on KNOM, the young girl was found. We thank everyone who helps us assist families during their most difficult times.
Father Armand Nigro, S.J. (pictured) has been offering prayers and Masses for many years for the intentions of thousands of KNOM’s supporters. He now needs your prayers. Please join us in prayer for his health and well being.
Recognizing God
Our inspirational spot for the week:
People see God every day. They just don’t recognize Him. –Pearl Bailey
Construction underway!
Construction workers drill the first hole for the foundation pilings of KNOM’s new studio annex.
Construction of the Tom and Florence Busch Digital Studios has begun! The pilings are in place, and the contractor will arrive soon to build our super-insulated addition. Please pray that more supporters come forward to make this last dream of the late Tom Busch a reality.
We are so thankful for your gifts and for all the blessings we have received, especially lately! Engineering volunteer Rolland Trowbridge is replacing five dysfunctional power modules in the Nautel AM transmitter; one of the modules actually caught fire for a brief time. Thankfully, the fire was limited only to the module itself! The new transmitter equipment brings us an unexpected expense of $5,000-6,000. However, the cost would have been much higher if the entire AM transmitter building had caught fire.
There are always challenges to meet and obstacles to overcome as we work to keep KNOM on the air in service to dozens of remote communities. Thank you for making our mission possible. We thank all who help KNOM.
September 1970: Dynamiting into the permafrost
September 21, 1970
Volunteers Tom Busch and John Pfeifer and dynamite expert Sam Tucker put in another day, melting holes into the permafrost with red-hot chisels and heavy hammers. Sam’s dynamite blasts excavate an average of about a foot a day on the main hole for the tower, as well as the three smaller holes for guy wire anchors.
For evil to triumph…
Our inspirational spot for the week:
All it takes for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing.
The people who keep us on the air
KNOM’s AM transmitter site in winter.
Last week, we welcomed the last of this year’s five volunteers to Nome. Lucus Keppel is from Michigan and has committed one year to the KNOM Radio Mission. He joins Margaret, Eva, Dayneé, and Josh. They look forward to a wonderful year of service to listeners in remote bush communities.
As always, we thank everyone who helps us overcome each obstacle and meet every challenge. Sometimes, our challenges are of a technical nature.
Recently, KNOM’s AM transmitter shut down, and the sensor monitoring the temperature inside our transmitter building read 128 degrees! The fans had turned off and had failed to restart. After cooling the building, engineering volunteer Rolland Trowbridge located the reset switch in a control panel and restarted the AM transmitter, returning the KNOM signal to the air.
In the rare moments our AM signal goes offline, we often receive phone calls from listeners asking us “where did you go?” We’re gratified to have such devoted listeners – and dedicated volunteers, staff, and community members who make sure such outages are not just rare, but also brief.
September 2001: Our broadcasts on a terrible day
The Manhattan skyline shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
September 11, 2001
Starting at 6am, KNOM airs 68 hours of live, continuous news coverage on the terrible events of today, interrupted only three times: for weather, for important announcements, and for the Rosary.
