The Central Highlands Council has approved a payment of nearly $15,000 to keep its local ABC Radio station on the air.
The council has managed the Belchers Lookout infrastructure used by the station since 2013, after inheriting it from the Derwent Valley Council.
The 89.7FM service operates as a ‘self-help retransmission’, a special licence designed for areas where the ABC is unable to provide adequate service on its own.
The station was first established in 2005 and, in the aftermath of bushfires, underwent significant Red Cross Bushfire donation-funded upgrades in 2013.
These upgrades included the installation of a backup diesel generator and a battery bank, designed to power the station for at least a month.
However, the spare near 20-year-old low-power transmitter has developed “serious internal faults” and “cannot now be trusted to stay on air” if the main transmitter fails.
Ratepayers will cover the $14,738 bill to buy a new Australian-made transmitter and antenna. The current main transmitter will be repurposed as a backup.
“This will mean that we will have two transmitters and two antennas at Belchers, greatly improving reliability and will extend our coverage further into the Central Highlands area,” Council’s Acting General Manager Stephen Mackey said.
The installation will be carried out by local volunteer Phil Goodwin at no cost to ratepayers.
