BC Tel- Trutch Island-Page 2

TRUTCH TROPO RADIO EQUIPMENT
Large brass pipe was the waveguide!

DON GENT REBUILDING POWER AMP
working in his PJ's late one night

TRUTCH RADIO SITE- 1967

TRUTCH RADIO SITE- 1967

TRUTCH TROPO ANTENNA SYSTEM, FEEDHORN TALL STRUCTURE ON RIGHT

TRUTCH GENERATOR BUILDING

There was also 6 diesels, 4 on line at all times. 2 to run 1/2 the site. They shared load to lower buildings. 1 small diesel there if power line failed.
I forget the KW#, but they were 6 cylinder and they were big. Night shift changed oil and diesel maintenance.
Lower building and truck maintenance done on day or evening shift. This included washers, dryers, boat motors and anything else required.
Phil Lepage stayed on as caretaker of lower area, and diesel man for about 6 month or more before being moved to Terrace and Rolly Anderson moving in as caretaker.
There was only one house left below at this time, rest of houses went to either Port Hardy or Charlotte City.
-Story and Photos above courtesy my late brother, Don Gent

Additional info from Brian Losie
Trutch Island Power House.
The last full year of Tropo's operation, the site burned over $100,000 in full running the 6-100KW Caterpillar diesels. In the early '80's when the site was converted to conventional line of site Radio using Lenkurt 878 gear, the power building was decommissioned and removed from the hill. Two 75KW Deutz diesel were installed at the lower power house near the dock and a 30 KW moved to the radio building for pole line insurance (most of the trips up the hill were for maintenance of the old diesels when the site converted).

ROAD FROM BOTTOM SITE TO TOP RADIO SITE- 1967

AERIAL VIEW OF BOTTOM LIVING QUARTERS AREA

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TRUTCH 1998
Photo courtesy Glen Olver

Trutch 2000 Photo courtesy Glen Olver

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