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Clear Creek Radio by Kai Aiyetoro September, 2002 Six weeks and counting! Clear Creek Radio (CCR) of Idaho Springs, CO will flip its switch at 97.7 FM. For the past eight years NFCB’s newest LPFM member station has been broadcasting at 101.9 Cable in Idaho Springs, and 102.3 Cable in Georgetown, Silver Plume, and Empire, in this mountainous area of Colorado. It has not been easy pickings for this LPFM applicant to get things moving, especially with the original antenna site assigned to them by the FCC: 11,000 feet above sea level, and dependent on solar energy. “Even though higher peaks on three sides ringed the site, the FCC determined that at our elevation, we were only allowed 2 watts!” wrote Greg Markle of Clear Creek Radio. CCR hired two different broadcast engineers and ran 5 different programs that showed a negative number for the height above average terrain (HAAT), but the FCC didn’t agree. Eventually, after 1,000 calculations with the same results, the FCC was convinced that their database might have had a little problem. In the meantime, CCR solicited bids from solar engineers that ranged from $5,000 to $20,000, with no guarantee of 24 hour coverage. Because of forest fires and the possibility of evacuations in the area, Clear Creek Radio really pushed for dependable 24 hour service in order to provide emergency alert service. There was no other way to contact people other than an expensive reverse 911. So, in consideration of community needs, site amendments were requested and granted for a site 850 feet down the hill. The new site had greater proximity to a power pole, which eliminated the need for solar power and guaranteed a dependable power source. This allowed line of sight for STL usage, and even lowered the elevation to fit into the FCC’s database for 100 watts! Gas powered drills and even dynamite were used to excavate the 6’ hole needed to accommodate a 40’ power pole. Everything had to be backpacked a quarter of a mile in to the site because the road had been swept away by avalanches. A helicopter was hired to transport and set the power pole. Talk about determination - this community rates number one! The Development Corporation of Idaho Springs loaned CCR funds to purchase equipment that was necessary for project completion. As a cable station for the last 8 years, their broadcast studio is already in place, but the station continues to seek new ways to raise money in order to pay off the equipment loan. CCR offers approximately 40 hours of original programming a week via cable, and looks forward to offering much more upon completion of the project. Congratulations to Clear Creek Radio for having the persistence, assertiveness, and stamina to carry out your mission to educate, inform, entertain, and alert the people of Clear Creek County. Kai Aiyetoro
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