Next stop, Copper Mountain, located between Shoshoni and Thermopolis.  This site is home to our 91.3 KUWT transmitter and is one of our more difficult to access.  A “road” filled with sharp rocks is the access route–in the winter it drifts full of snow but there are still a number of exposed rocky patches.  This mountain has caused more damage to vehicles and tires than I care to think about.  Fortunately our new tracked vehicle should be up to the challenge.

Looks like we have company today!  WYDOT has a site up on this mountain, as do a variety of other providers.

 

What a trip!  Perched on top of Copper Mountain…

Reid poses by a very ice coated tree.

The tree isn’t the only thing coated in a thick layer of ice!

  

Gorgeous scenery!

WYDOT drove a snow cat into their communications site…

Another person had driven a four wheeler with tracks up the mountain.  They were nowhere to be found but came back while we were up there to reclaim the four wheeler.  Apparently they had been hunting a bobcat and had to leave in a hurry since one of their dogs had been badly hurt in the process.  I always get a bit concerned when I see abandoned vehicles on this mountain…It can be quite treacherous.

Reid shovels out the door to the site…

Here is the problem…A faulty “exporter” has taken our digital signals off the air.

This particular exporter refuses to stay locked to the GPS satellites.  This provides a critical timing reference for the system and if it is not present the system will not function properly.

The manufacturer had shipped a replacement unit which is more resistant to this particular failure.  I suspect it was related to a heat issue we had recently experienced at the site.

While at the site I noticed an air filter on another piece of equipment had become pretty severely plugged with dust and debris.  Always a good idea to check these things on every maintenance trip.

Programming the replacement unit…

Done!  Time to head back down the mountain…

Reid skillfully pilots the utility vehicle…

This vehicle configuration is perfect for this sort of thing.  It handles the snow quite nicely.

Loading back up…Next stop, Worland.