WRBH at reduced power due to Vandalism

[speer360]

WRBH (Radio for the Blind and Print Handicapped) Filed with the FCC to temporarily operate from a antenna at the studio at extremely reduced power, 500 watts vs 51,000 Watts

"On March 26, 2023, NCE-FM radio station WRBH, New Orleans, LA (Fac. Id. 54575) went off
the air. Upon inspection, it appears that the transmission line is damaged (possibly by
vandalism). Other equipment on the tower may also be damaged.
In order to return to the air, WRBH seeks Special Temporary Authority to operate from an
antenna located on its studio property – located at 29° 55’ 18” N, 90° 5’ 30” W with a 2 bay
NICOM BKG88-2 antenna at 500w of power with a height of 90’ AGL; 110’ RCAMSL.
WRBH requests that the STA be granted for 180 days in order that it may conduct further
inspection and repairs and, if necessary, fundraising and/or prosecuting insurance claims.

Draft Copy « Licensing and Management System « FCC

Licensing and Management System

enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov

Facebook page states "WRBH is experiencing an emergency situation over at our transmitter site. Because of this, we are operating at extremely low power, with a broadcast radius of only about 10 miles."

 

[Fieldtech1]

Copper theft?

 

[speer360]

Copper theft?

That would be my guess.

 

[Greg Strickland]

Google Earth 2018 imagery shows well protected tall tower site that is also used by several TV stations. Vandalism is a possibility, but determination of the actual cause will be made. Could just be a transmission line failure at the end of colder season. Regardless this looks like an excellent site, and not a likely target for a copper thief looking for low hanging fruit. I hope they get it resolved at reasonable cost and resume operation from this site.