DZRK Tabuk back on the air

By Gigi Dumallig, PIA CAR-Kalinga

TABUK, Kalinga, Feb.21 (PIA) – DZRK Radyo ng Bayan Tabuk, the only government and AM station in the province, is back on the air almost four months after its transmitter was toppled down by Typhoon Juan in October last year.
Jose Rostigue Jr., Broadcast Operations Supervisor of DZRK said the station is currently operating at a seven- kilowatt (kW) power which could service the entire province and some parts of nearby provinces of Isabela, Cagayan and Apayao.
He said that the power could still be increased but this would entail an increase in electricity consumption, so the management opted to maintain a 7 kW power considering that it could already reach it targeted listeners.
Rostigue say that the station is still undergoing some technical adjustments on the newly repaired transmitter saying that it is still experiencing distortion if technicians try to increase above 70% modulation.
The matter he said is being referred to the Composite Technology Inc., the company that serviced the installation and delivery of the station’s tower transmitter.
Out of the 20 spans or 300 feet original tower height, the management was able to salvage 13 spans reducing the tower height to 195 feet, Rostigue said.
To augment the missing length of the antenna, the station he said used the top load vertical antenna to raise the base operating resistance. Basically the shortened tower has not much effect on the station’s service, he said.
Rostigue related that last February 12, the station went on air initially to start tuning the antenna operating on 2 to 3 kilowatt power.
Tuning he said was completed the next day as it went on test broadcast operating on 3 to 5 kilowatt starting with the full coverage of the first day of the 2011th Ullalim Festival and 16th Kalinga Anniversary.
Last Monday the station went on air with its regular programming at 7 kW power.
DZRK Radyo ng Bayan is situated at 837khz on the AM band. As a government radio station, this serves as a medium of development communication with the aim to mobilize all sectors of society towards development and nationalism. Live government news is aired here. **