American Forces Network's SURF 648 AM went off the air March 21, 2023, so crews could fix a support wire for the station’s radio tower. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
CAMP KINSER, Okinawa — Fans of talk radio and NPR on American Forces Network must wait a little longer while further repairs are made to a faulty tower and supporting equipment on Okinawa.
SURF 648 AM — sister station to WAVE 89.1 FM — went off the air March 21 so crews could fix a support wire for the station’s radio tower, AFN spokesman John Clearwater said in April. The work was expected to be completed by June 1.
While making repairs, contractor KBR Inc. discovered “severe” corrosion on a transformer, which regulates and conducts electricity to the tower, according to a Tuesday email from Keith Smith, chief of operations for AFN Pacific.
The network hopes to have the AM channel back online by early September.
“AFN Okinawa's Camp Kinser AM Tower is nearly complete,” Clearwater said by email Friday. “Our AFN Pacific Technical Service crews are working to fully restore AM service to the Okinawa community on AM Surf 648 as soon as possible.”
The AM tower is next to Kinser Elementary School along the base fence line.
AFN Okinawa in a March 20 Facebook post announced repairs to a guy wire that broke near the top of the tower; a guy wire is a tensioned cable that adds stability to a free-standing structure. The corroded transformer was discovered during work on the guy wire, which began April 1 and concluded May 26, Smith said.
American Forces Network’s AM radio tower, along the northern fence line of Camp Kinser, Okinawa, is pictured Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
The original manufacturer, Austin Insulators Inc. of Ontario, Canada, must manufacture and ship the transformer, and then maintenance crews can install the replacement parts, Smith said.
“We anticipate getting power to the AM Kinser tower soon,” Clearwater said. AFN will continue to release updates on WAVE 89.1 FM and Facebook.
Talk programming is still accessible through the AFN Go application, available from the Apple App Store, Google Play and AFN Okinawa’s website.
The AM channel offers an alternative to the music-based WAVE 89.1 FM and features popular programs from U.S. broadcasters like NPR, Sports Overnight America and various political commentators.
The station also provides critical news and information during natural disasters like typhoons.
