BONAIRE: 60 years ago, TWR - Trans World Radio put the most powerful radio station in the Caribbean into service on medium waves. Bonaire is a Dutch island 150 km from Venezuela. This is where TWR got permission to broadcast. Under Dutch sovereignty, the radio was not supposed to comply with American power limitations. So she installs 1 Brown-Boveri 500kW on 800kHz (375 meters) mediumwave transmitter, a 250kW and a 50kW transmitter, and wins the title "America's Most Powerful Mediumwave Transmitter! ”.
The installation is located along salty swamps in the municipality of Belnem south of the capital.
The station began testing in 1963 with a power of 500 kW.
In 1964, the success of this plantation was not expected, Radio Nederland Wereldomroep asks to rent the transmitter for broadcasts to Central, North and South America on medium-waves. The programs were broadcast in Dutch, English and Spanish. They were produced in Hilversum and flown on strips by plane. The news bulletins were relayed live from the programs broadcasted from Loopik. Very soon Radio Nederland decided to set up its own station on this very island.
But the costs associated with operating and maintaining a high-power tube facility ultimately forced TWR to rethink its strategy and short waves were halted in 1993. TWR also wanted to reduce its emissions to medium waves: the 500 kW transmitter and its electric generator were too high charges.
In 1998, TWR reduced its medium-wave power by installing a more economical transmitter: a 100 kW NX100 from Nautel - AM FM Broadcast
The operating license for the 500 kW medium wave transmitter has been revoked and a new license (PJB3-AM) has been issued for 100 kW. 500kW transmitter sold and leaving the island.
Twelve years later, in 2012, the transmitters have evolved again and TWR is making the decision to increase the station's power to close to its original level. The radio wants to become a major regional station in Latin and Central America, to complement the small on-air FM operations in the region.
Authorities allow TWR to increase its power to 450 kW.
From 2012 to 2016 TWR is raising funds to allocate the necessary capital.
In 2016 Kintronic Labs is commissioned by TWR to provide a door-key new directional antenna system consisting of 4 231 meters poles arranged in parallelograms. This new multidirectional antenna system allows the station to target specific audiences at different times of the day.
In July 2017, the new RF system came into service using their existing 100kW transmitter.
During the installation of the antenna, TWR ordered its new transmitter with more than 90% efficiency: a semiconductor transmitter. This is the Nautel NX400 model that was selected for the project. The forecasted economy was double, compared to the first issuer: an economy of nearly 30% on energy and a much fewer personnel.
January 31, 2018, the new 450 kW medium wave transmitter Nautel Broadcast is inaugurated. It represents a $3.8 million investment. On this occasion TWR which used the name Radio Trans Mundial becomes Shine 800 AM.
Improving power and coverage helps to spread Christian programming on a wide area, but it's also helpful in other ways. In case of an emergency, nothing beats medium waves, for example, when hurricanes have hit the Antilles.
At this time programmes are modified to inform people about weather, encourage disaster relief and to speak to local residents live or to be made available to the governments of the West Indies.
(Michel Fremy/FB Radio Magazine)