WDRT Successfully Tests Its Transmitter
Signal Heard Throughout the Coulee Region
At 4:50 p.m. on August 28th, 2010, WDRT's engineers flipped the switch on our transmitter and the first strains of music were broadcast over the 91.9FM frequency.
A few excited board members drove around the four-county area that night to determine our coverage area. To our delight, the signal reached farther than we'd dreamed. As expected, it was strong in Viroqua, Westby, La Farge, Viola, and Readstown. But WDRT 91.9FM was also heard as far away as Mt. Sterling, Gillingham, Rockbridge, Hillsboro, DeSoto, Coon Valley, Cashton, and Soldiers Grove. One intrepid board member even parked at the apex of the narrow, rickety bridge between DeSoto and Lansing to enjoy the clear signal he found there.
If you heard us, too, bear in mind that the transmitter was running in test mode, which issues a lower quality signal than what you'll hear when we broadcast live from the studio. If you missed us, you don't have long to wait until we're back on the air! Volunteers are racing to prepare for our scheduled debut on 9/17.
Getting the transmitter installed and running marks a huge milestone for the station. Behind the scenes many people spent countless hours preparing for this moment and dealing with many diverse challenges along the way. WDRT thanks its all-volunteer technical crew as well as the folks from BroadcastDoc Technical Services and Vernon Telephone Cooperative for their help.
Have you joined the groundswell?