[AReU] Transmitter Hunt

[Bob Haynes]

Subject: Transmitter Hunt


I got a very interesting phone call from Mark, who goes to my church
He went on a mission trip to Ticllos Peru, in South America, and met a radio missionary named Armando who speaks only Spanish.
This missionary lives on a mountain that is 12,600 feet high, and he operates a radio that relays his religious broadcast program to an FM radio station three hours a week.  
The sign on Armando's radio building says "Radio Mega Stereo"
I looked up Radio Mega Stereo on the internet and here is a website:  http://www.megastereo.net/
This station is in Puno, Peru.
This is likely, but not definitely, the station that missionary Armando is linking to.    
The website is written in Spanish

I looked at a few maps of Peru on the internet, and was able to find Puno, which is in the south end of the country, but not a good map to see if Ticllos Peru is a reasonable distance from Puno that a broadcast link could radio could transmit that far - so the website may or may not be relevant.  

Armando speaks only Spanish.
Armando rented a transmitter to link into the FM radio station, and Mark would like to see if a church mission group could purchase a new or used reliable transmitter to take to Armando so that Armando would no longer have to pay rent for the transmitter he is using.  

Mark is unsure whether Armando has any electronic knowledge or not.

In an effort to understand approximately what band Armando may be using to link into the FM transmitter, I asked Mark to describe the antenna Armando is using, and what he told me gave the impression that the link transmit antenna was a simple ground plane with three slightly drooping radials, and also a driven vertical element, each very roughly four feet long (a ground plane)  

I told Mark that in order to make an intelligent choice of equipment, there are some things we need to ask Armando, such as:

(1)    What is the brand and model number of the transmitter he is using?
(2)    What frequency is he using to link to the broadcast station?
(3)    How many volts is provided by the electric outlet he has it plugged into?
(4)    How many watts of power is he running? 

We could use the help someone who is fluent in Spanish who would be willing to contact Radio Mega Stereo via their website to ask:
(1)    Is there a missionary named Armando in Ticllos, Peru who links in a two or three hour broadcast every week on their radio station?
If so, they could explain that people here want to buy Armando a link radio, and direct the following questions to the radio station's engineering department: 
(2)    What frequency is Armando using?
(3)    How many watts would Armando probably have to use to create a good quality link signal to their radio station?
(4)    How many volts is the electric service in Ticllos, Peru?

Maybe there are other questions which would be appropriate, but those are the ones that came to my mind.

Maybe having Armando run somewhat more power may not help him create a better link signal, and therefore more power may or may not help him to broadcast to people further away than those he is already reaching.
Likewise a taller tower may or may not help Armando make a better link signal.
Armando might be able to run even less power if the missionary group could buy him a nice beam antenna which he could aim directly at Puno, Peru.  

Once we know what we are looking for, I would like to put out the word to local ham radio operators as to what type of transmitter the group is seeking.  Maybe someone knows of a nice deal on one.  Anything you can do to help will be appreciated. 
A transmitter with Spanish labeling and a Spanish language manual would be best for Armando because I am told he understands Spanish only.   

73,
Bob WB4AKA
rhaynes5 at tampabay.rr.com
(813) 657-1200