While working on my new transmitter site, I received notice that we were off the air at our Buffalo transmitter site.

The road to the site is blocked by a large snow bank…Fortunately I was able to maneuver the truck around it to access the site.

In looking at the transmitter, it was only putting out about 22 watts and showing a VSWR fault.  This generally indicates an issue with the transmission line or antenna.

I first suspected an issue with the antenna…Unfortunately I could not inspect the antenna directly but it looked OK at first glance.  Some additional troubleshooting would be necessary to isolate the issue.

Further testing revealed that the issue was not with the antenna or transmission line.  I had brought another transmitter with me which resolved the issue.  I will bring the failed transmitter back to the shop for service.

One very tired engineer after replacing the Buffalo transmitter…I still need to drive back to Torrington tonight.