97.7 Tasman FM operates its transmitter from the old Mt Koonya Firetower site. Mounted on a Flight Bros 30 M tower, which also hosts transmission antennae for Ericsson Australia's communications network, our RFS mixed-polarised 4 bay array replaced the original 4 bay vertically polarised array on March 23, 2002. Our transmission power is 1KW (ERP) which is required to resolve a stereo signal in all major population centres within our licence area.

The old fire tower, one of a number built in the 1940's, remained in use as a fire detection platform until the mid 1980's. Materials had to be transported to the site with pack-horses. In more recent times, the tower was used by bushwalkers as a viewing platform for the stunning views across the nortwest aspect of the Tasman Peninsula to Hobart and beyond - as well as providing initial siting for Ericsson's antennae. It finally failed to meet ever-increasing safety requiremnets and was decommissioned and dismantled in 1999. Those involved in the dismantling were amazed at the quality of the "hot bath" galvanising (carried out by the now-privatised Hydro Workshops) which had stood the rigours of time.

Our studios, located at Nubeena, do not have lign-of-sight with our transmitter at Mt Koonya so two microwave links were needed to get our signal to the transmitter. Ericsson Australia agreed to provide not only the two rquired links, but also the necessary codecs for processing the signal at either end. The importance of such a committment is impossible to overstate. Quite simply, without the assistance of Ericsson and their dedicated staff, the whole project would not have been possible. Special thanks to Paul Heron, Steve Toth, Gino DeSanti, Ron Young, Mark von Steiglitz, and Tony Dillon. Nice one, guys! Both links at the remote site at White Beach had to be battery-powered whilst we waited for what seemed like an eternity for Aurora Energy to get its act together and provide mains power.