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Around thirty years ago, a group of hearty guys with a vision for the future dug a channel and laid several cables for an electric line, from the main power transformer on Boreas Pass Road all the way up to what is now the Electronic site, up above timberline, on Baldy Mountain. What a job that must have been! Well, this power line has served us (and other users of the electronic site) well for many years. However, freeze-and -thaw cycles, natural movement of underground rocks, hungry gnawing critters (boy, I bet they were in for a shock), and natural deterioration over time has created many places where the insulation has broken on the cables, allowing the aluminum of the cable itself to corrode, etc., causing ground faults, and decrease of power-carrying capacity. This summer a lot of hard work has gone into locating many of these underground faults (with some StarWars-like gadgets), digging them up, cutting out the bad parts and splicing in new lengths of cable.
Here’s a link showing some examples of the damage to the power line.
Kudos to Gary Peterson, our technical guy and site manager, for organizing this work and rounding up contractors and volunteers to assist him in this arduous task, and keeping us on the air!