KOMO | Vashon Radio

Built in 1943
Calls: KOMO
Frequency: 1000Khz
Power: 50,000 watts Non Directional Day/ Directional Night
Owner: Sinclair Broadcast Group
Technical information from FCCinfo.com

Click on any Photo to thumb through gallery

: Driving up to the KOMO Transmitter site on Vashon Island.

: The KOMO site is the largest on Vashon Island, it resides on 77 acres of land. Photo 1/16/2008

: As you drive through the gate you approach the backside of the main transmitter building. KOMO started to broadcasting at 50,000 watts from Vashon Island using an RCA BTA50F. Like many 50kw transmitter sites of the time, the building was built large to accommodate the transmitter. Photo 1/16/2008

Step-down transformers from Puget Sound Energy. Photo 1/16/2008

The building has two levels. Blowers to cool the tubes in the RCA 50kw transmitter are located in the basement. There is a full size shop on the main level. The generators are also located inside. KOMO is the only station with line of site from the roof to Queen Ann hill. Photo 1/16/2008

Walking around to the front of the main transmitter building. The building front faces east looking out over the field with the three tower antenna array. Photo 1/16/2008

This photo is taken midway between the towers and the building. You can see the nice hedge this site is still very well maintained. Up until the early seventies KOMO kept a full time staff on site. Due to FCC rules the transmitter could not be operated by remote control. Onsite engineers were needed to take meter reading and verify the stations licensed power and night time directional array performance. Up until 2008 an engineer lived on site. Photo taken 1/16/2008

Walking back around the north side of the transmitter building you can see the three car garage on the left where engineers would park their cars. A house is also on the property to the right. Photo 1/16/2008

Just turning around from where I took the previous photo and you’re looking at the KOMO satellite up-link facility. Photo 1/16/2008

This satellite uplink facility was built in 1985 by RCA to be a world class uplink facility…and it is. But after about 10 years of operation ownership reverted back to Fisher Broadcasting. Fisher uses one dish to uplink to its Univision stations.

The west side of the building. Photo 1/16/2008

Only one dish is in use by Fisher stations. Photo 1/16/2008

Just a couple more dishes out on the west side of the facility. Notice the old KOMO Husky remote trailer to the right. Photo 1/16/2008

This is the caretakers/engineers house. Bob Holcomb was the last fulltime engineer to live onsite. Photo 1/16/2008

Out in the feild with the towers looking back towards the main building. Photo 1/16/2008

This is the middle tower base. Photo 1/16/2008

This is the North tower base. The towers are made by the same manufacture of the KIRO towers. Photo 1/16/2008

Walking back fron the towers to see the RCA!

RCA red lines the path to the RCA BTA 50F installed in 1943. While most of these pictures are from 2008, the pictures of the RCA were taken in July 2012. The facility still looks great! Chief engineer Tim Moore and his crew have done a great job maintaining the history at the KOMO Vashon Transmitter site. Photo 1/16/2008

Here we are July 27, 2012. This is a piece of broadcast history. Actually the whole building with its design and architecture are very well preserved and I look forward to better photo documenting this transmitter site. This is the main transmitter room. Originally only the RCA was in this room with its main control desk, which you can see to the left. The computers on the table hold computers for the remote control system. This view is looking from standing in front of the phaser. The door on the far right of the picture actually is a door to the inside of the transmitter. Photo 7/27/2012

These are the modulator tubes. Photo 7/27/2012

Control section of the RCA. Photo 7/27/2012

This is looking towards the RCA and phaser in the background. In the 60’s a Continental 316B was installed as a backup to the 50KW RCA. The Continental would have been just to the right in theis photo in line with the equipment racks. Photo 7/27/2012

A quick trip inside the RCA. These are the high voltage rectifiers. Photo 7/27/2012

This is the original control desk for the RCA BTA50F. Photo 7/27/2012

The continental 317c became the main transmitter in the in the early 80’s replacing the RCA. The equipment racks are just to the left.

This is where the backup 316B would have sat. Now the KOMO main transmitter, a Nautel XR50 sits in its place with the equipment racks to the right. The white box in the middle of the racks and the Nautel is a matching network. Photo 7/27/2012

The Matching phaser for the three tower night time pattern. Picture 7/28/2012

KOMO Equipment rack. Photo 7/27/2012

Boxes of the big tubes for the RCA. Picture 7/27/2012

An RCA tube in the box. Photo 7/27/2012

Old voltage regulator equipment in the basement. Photo 7/27/2012

Transformers in the basement. Photo 7/27/2012

This is the phaser control circuitry located in the basement. Photo 7/27/2012

These beacons were removed from the towers when KOMO Installed New LED Lights on the towers. Photo 7/27/2012

The old 316B 10kw backup now sites in the shop at KOMO. Photo 7/27/2012

Some of the Vintage equipment at the KOMo transmitter site on Vashon Isalnd. Photo 7/27/2012

More stuff behind the door. Photo 7/27/2012

Is that an old modulation monitor by that rack? Photo 7/27/2012

KOMO has a full shop at tis am transmiter site too. Photo 7/27/2012

This must be the analog backup. Photo 7/27/2012