Update on the future of Radio Fly

Papua New Guinea 

3915, Radio Fly, Kiunga, 1200-1400 UTC, Mar 26. For about three days now have not heard any open carrier during my usual checking. Finally off the air now, after seemingly running on very low power for a long time?

http://www.oktedi.com/operations/mine-closure-planning  discloses that Ok Tedi Mining Ltd. (OTML) (owner and operator of Radio Fly) plans on closing down their mining operation “around mid- to late-2013”. Here is another interesting response received from OTML regarding my query sent to Nigel Parker about the current status of R Fly:

"Dear Ron, good to hear from you again and to know that you remain a faithful Radio Fly devotee.

Contrary to what you may have heard there is a bright future for OTML with the mine to continue well into the late 2020's. You would also be pleased to know that OTML is actively engaged in extending the coverage of Radio Fly from our current limited geographical footprint to a comprehensive Western Province footprint by utilising mobile phone towers to add repeaters. 

The primary purpose is to enable the broadcast of "School of the Air" programs as a way to bring education to the remote communities of the Western Province. To get this going we are now sourcing the funding for this extension. I would also like to point you to the Ok Tedi Development Foundation website - www.otdf.com.pg  which will provide some insight to our part of the world for you.

Nigel Parker, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Ok Tedi Mining Limited". (Howard, Mar 27)

(DSWCI/DX Window 476)

Radio Fly and the long awaited QSL card

The following was reported today for DXers on the status of QSLing Radio Fly

Papua New Guinea
(I) have been corresponding with Radio Fly regarding their long awaited QSL cards. The cards in fact have been designed, printed and all have been signed by the GM of the company, so perhaps they will go out next week, as they would like to send them out all at once and have not sent one yet to anybody. To date they have received more than 40 reception reports; some have sent more than one report. Those who have already sent in reception reports do not need to do anything else but keep checking your mailbox. Looks as if we should certainly have them in July.

Very good news!

For those wishing to send in new reception reports, please send them to a very nice fellow at Ok Tedi Mining Limited: James Kaltobie at James.Kaltobie@oktedi.com. He sincerely apologizes for the delay in getting these QSL cards out to listeners, but this is all rather new to him.
(Ron Howard, CA/Cumbre DX)

Radio Fly would like to hear from shortwave listeners

Here is an email from the Radio Fly radio technician at Kiunga, Roseanne Kulupi Roseanne. Kulupi@oktedi.com, who indeed would like to hear from other shortwave listeners:

“Easter Greetings to you all the way from PNG. I hope this email finds you well. Thank you for your email. It's great to know you are receiving our signal there in California. We've also received a couple of emails from listeners in Japan, Australia, New Zealand and a couple of other countries as well.

I apologise for 3915 kHz frequency being off air. The transmitter had been faulty for some time and just recently got repaired and is on its way back to site. We should have it back on air, hopefully in a week or two weeks time.

Thank you once again for your email and I look forward to more emails from you and other shortwave listeners of California. Have a safe day.
Kind Regards,
Roseanne

(Ron Howard, Monterey, CA/Cumbre DX)

Additional observations for Radio Fly
3915, Radio Fly, Kiunga. Status report is that the transmitter that has been silent for some time now. Transmitter site for both 3915 and 5960 is Kiunga, a port town on the Fly River, about 85 miles south of Tabubil. Per their radio technician, the 3915 transmitter has been repaired, but needs to be re-installed at Kiunga. Also the circuit breaker for the Aircon tripped and needs attention. She did try to reset it, but it only held for about 2-5 minutes before tripping again. She suggested it would be good to have both aircons working, before they re-install the second transmitter.(Howard,Apr 13)

5960, Radio Fly, Kiunga, 0915-1120, Apr 07, 08 and 09, news, sports recap of the just concluded rugby match between the New Zealand Warriors and the Sydney Roosters played in New Zealand, 0925 DJ in Tok Pisin with island pop songs; “Here now is Radio Fly’s Community …” with public service ann in Tok Pisin about such things as training programs, song by Foreigner “Feels Like The First Time”, "Tequila Sunrise" by the Eagles, DJ took calls after nearly every song. Signal peaked at 1120. (Herkimer in Dxplorer, Howard)
(DX Window 426)

My current Radio Fly broadcast schedule is listed as:
All times UTC
0600-0945 3915/5960 English
0000-1200 3915/5960 English/Pidgin
2000-2100 3915/5960 English/Pidgin
(Gayle Van Horn, Frequency Manager, Monitoring Times)

PNG's Radio Fly on shortwave

Pacific Radio News
Radio Heritage Foundation
www.radioheritage.net/

Radio Fly on Shortwave
Tabubil, Papua New Guinea

Listeners in countries such as Japan and New Zealand have been reporting reception of new shortwave broadcaster Radio Fly in recent days.

Radio Fly is a community radio station operated by the Ok Tedi Mine management in the isolated Western Province of Papua New Guinea, about 800km west of the capital Port Moresby.

According to Jobby Paiva, who hosts the evening show on Radio Fly, the station operates from two FM transmitters [95.3 at the port town of Kiunga and 103.8 in the main company town of Tabubil about 90km inland] and recently started shortwave relays on 3915kHz and 5960kHz.

English news is scheduled 7am-7.30am Tue-Sat and again at 7.30pm-7.45pm Mon-Fri [local times] and the 6am-10pm [2000-1200 UTC] broadcast day is divided into the Breakfast Shift 6am-10am, Mid Morning/Mid Afternoon Shift 10am-2pm, Afternoon Drive 2pm-6pm and the
Night Shift 6pm-10pm closedown.

He tells us that the transmitter power details for the SW outlets will be available shortly and they're delighted to be getting emails in from a growing number of listeners around the world.

Station details will be included in the 2011 WRTH: Radio Fly studios are on Dakon Street, Tabubil. Mailing address: PO Box 1, Tabubil, Western Province, Papua New Guinea. Team Leader: Michael Miise. Telephone: +675 649 3924. Fax: +675 6493023. Email:
jobby.paiva@oktedi.com .

Jobby has previously been a broadcaster with Nau FM and other commercial stations in Papua New Guinea and maintains a regular blog where updates about Radio Fly can be found:
www.jobbyswalk-about.blogspot.com/ .

Tabubil is the site of one of the world's largest copper mines [previously gold mining] about 20km from the border with Indonesia and just over 300km from Jayapura. Annual rainfall is around 315 inches [8 meters] and the township is located in extremely dense jungle.

A road links Tabubil with a port at Kiunga where the copper slurry is taken by pipeline, and the port mainly exists to service Tabubil. Both Kiunga and Tabubil are in the highly mountainous North Fly District of Western Province.

Radio Fly serves a combined Tabubil/Kiunga urban population of about 25,000 [estimated] and began broadcasting on FM in 2004. For more information about Radio Fly and the Ok Tedi mining operations see:www.oktedi.com/.
(Radio Heritage Mail)