Orlunda Radio Transmitter - Problems

Problems

Soon after the station entered service, the East German international station Stimme der DDR commenced broadcasting on 185 kHz, interfering with reception at longer distances. After several complaints, the East German government closed the station.

On 12 July 1970 the station's central antenna was struck by lightning, cutting off a stay, setting an oil-filled stay isolator on fire, and crushing the base isolator. This caused the central antenna to collapse over the bunker, destroying the antenna but causing little damage to the sturdily-built bunker, only a crack in the ceiling visible from the inside entrance. Power was lowered to 150 kW while the feeders were reconnected to the five ring antennas. The central mast was never rebuilt. When the feeders were rebuilt the power was raised again to 300 kW, but lowered again in the 1970s to 100 kW after the 1973 and 1979 oil crises. This cut listenership as it increased maintenance costs; an attempt by Televerket to close down the station and replace it with a new longwave facility on the island of Gotland met with protests and the idea was dropped.

Sveriges Radio later introduced processed sound to increase sound quality, but this had the effect of the modulation transformer almost reaching its alarm limit.

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