Day after day our newsrooms report on increasing forest and grassland fires. And our transmitters that carry this news and important information to the public are at risk, even if they’re not right in the fire area.
Smoking is bad for you – and smoke is bad, really bad, for your transmitter!
Smoke conducts electricity. The film of carbon and ash that smoke leaves behind on surfaces inside and outside your transmitter conduct electricity. Plus, the ash and smoke residue literally gums up switches, jacks, microphones – coating everything in sight. This is not good!
Many of our transmitter sites are on land that qualifies for financial assistance with fire-reducing brush clearing. Some years ago the folks at the Cuidad Soil & Water Conservation District, which includes Albuquerque and environs, including Sandia Crest, offered to match dollar-for-dollar the cost of clearing combustible brush from within the Sandia Crest Electronic Site.
Should a forest or grassland fire break out near your transmitter site, in our dry climate it’ll spread very quickly. If your transmitter site is atop a hill or a mountain-top, be aware that fires like to spread upwards in hilly country.
Even if fire doesn’t come to your transmitter site to burn it down, the smoke from a nearby fire can badly damage your transmitter. If you have a transmitter that uses vacuum tubes that require high voltage, you’re particularly at risk. High voltage actually attracts smoke!
We’re all pretty aware of forest and grassland fires this time of year. Hopefully we’ll never be made aware that a fire is threatening our station’s very existence!
Footnote: not that it’ll be of much help during a forest or grassland fire, but you do have fire extinguishers at your studios and transmitter site, don’t you? If a fire starts in your building, you do want a way to put it out quickly. Waiting for the fire department with their high-pressure water hoses is asking for lots and lots more damage from the water!! Be prepared!!