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| drive into Beowawe, Nevada |
Interestingly, a dozen years ago,
there was another projected shortwave station with the same callsign, though it
was planned for a different location. We
pick up this interesting information in our program today; so, let’s go back to the beginning.
The authoritative World Radio
Handbook for the year 2003 contains a brief entry for a projected new shortwave
station, with the callsign KIMF. This
new station would be located near Pinon in the American state of New Mexico,
and it would contain one shortwave transmitter at 50 kW with two registered
frequencies, 5835 kHz and 11885 kHz. The original plan showed that the new
station would be launched in late 2003 or early 2004.
The small town of Pinon with a
population of considerably less than 100 people, is located in the south of the
state of New Mexico approximately half way between the Arizona (west) and Texas
(east) state lines. The owner and
president for this new station was James Planck, and the postal address at that
time was in Rancho Cucamonga in suburban Los Angeles in California.
This brief information about the new
KIMF was contained in the World Radio TV Handbook for four consecutive years,
running from 2003 to 2006. Neither of
the volumes of the WRTVHB for 2002 (before) nor 2007 (after) made any mention
of shortwave station KIMF.
Thus, no further information
anywhere would seem to indicate that the projected new shortwave station KIMF
had quietly come to an end. However,
with the very recent surprising information from New Zealand in April, the
story of the American shortwave station KIMF is re-opened. Subsequent reports on the internet affirm the
accuracy of the current information about this new shortwave station.
Interestingly, during the year 2015,
James Planck began a four hour daily program relay with KVOH that was on the
air each evening. Then, last year, he
ended his broadcasts over KOH with the intent of establishing his own shortwave
station.
The new location for KIMF is just
half a dozen miles due west of another small town, Beowawe in Nevada. This town, with its hot springs geo-thermal
electricity generating plant, has a population of also considerably less than
100 people.
The generally flat station property
is located on the north side of the winding country road, six miles west of
Beowawe town. Photos of the general area
show that it is rather hilly with very little natural growth.
The wooden transmitter building is
already constructed and some of the electronic equipment is already
installed. At least one antenna system
has already been erected. The intended
coverage for this new shortwave station is said to be Latin America and Asia.
When this new shortwave station is
fully operational, it will contain two shortwave transmitters; a Harris 50 kW
and another that is listed as a PTS transmitter at 100 kW. Plans are in hand for the erection of a total
of four diamond shaped three-wire rhombics.
Registered shortwave channels for this station are given as 6065 9300
and 13570 kHz.
The International Fellowship of
Churches, under the same president James Planck, states on their website that
they plan to erect additional medium wave and shortwave stations at strategic
locations in order to obtain worldwide coverage. They already operate a medium wave station in
the Central American country of Honduras, station HREZ in the twin city
Comayaguela, with 1 kW on 1490 kHz. The
operating organization in Honduras is listed as International Missionary
Fellowship, with the initial letters IMF, hence their American call sign KIMF.
Their website also states that a
shortwave station that is co-sited with their medium wave facility in Honduras
is already on the air. Several years
ago, that was true and it operated on 3340 and 5010 kHz. However, more recently their shortwave
counterpart fell silent, so it would seem that they are planning to reactivate
their shortwave transmitters in Honduras some time soon.
Programming for the new American
shortwave station will be produced in a studio in Los Angeles with a program
feed by satellite to the transmitter facility.
Their current postal address is 9102 Reserve Drive, Corona CA 92883.
Apparently, their new shortwave
station KIMF near Beowawe in Nevada will be activated some time quite
soon. Our question then would be: Who
will be the first international radio monitor to hear this new shortwave
station on his own radio receiver?
(AWR/Wavescan-NWS 428)