Mission Accomplished with the Launch of Cusco FM 100.1 MHz and Urcos FM 100.9 MHz

 Saturday 04 Feb 2023

As I reflect on the trip, I believe it has been an amazing success.  I say “amazing” as despite our initially planned travels to include other Diospi FM sites which were prevented due to blockades and political protests, we were still able to utilise all the time we had to achieve our primary objectives.  In fact I am convinced our altered itinerary was the best result for what we really needed to get done.

Sadly, some protests were quite violent resulting in some 49 people killed by the date we left.  These were primarily in the Lima and Juliaca circa. Lake Puno areas.  We thus avoided all the violent protest areas where we have FM site interests such as Puno, Puerto Maldonado, Andahuaylas and Ayacucho.  The fear is that these protests will worsen and develop into civil war in the country due to the seemingly un-wielding government corruption and an unwillingness to promptly commit to re-elections since the former president was impeached and gaoled in December. I am informed Peru is largely under control of some 20 wealthy families who form a power cartel in the country.  As long as this dictatorial regime persists, justice will not be realised for the middle and lower class.  The voice of the people is now getting louder and we hope and pray more lives won’t be lost in the process.

We still visited the new remote FM sites’ of Abancay (twice), Urcos and Cusco.  Plus multiple visits of the local Curahuasi TV & FM transmission site and the majority of time spent making some significant upgrades and repairs to the hospital Central de Medios (broadcast studios and transmission hub).  However the biggest milestone of these site visits is the launch of the Cusco site just yesterday – taking the premier position in the Diospi network due to its coverage of some half a million people.  Dr Klaus in his usual manner had posted this auspicious occasion on the Diospi Suyana website within the hour from the launch of this service (as found here: https://www.diospi-suyana.de/breaking-news-from-1750-diospi-suyana-broadcasts-in-the-city-of-cusco/?lang=en)  I was humbled by the recognition given by Klaus for my part of this chapter.

Just two more Diospi FM sites are now outstanding to bring the number up to 12 FM transmission sites and one TV transmission site.  These are Anta and Ayacucho which will extend our total coverage estimate up to 1,973,000 listeners in the south of Peru (refer to my blog of Saturday 31 Dec 2022 for an itemisation).  We believe this fulfils the prophecy from LifeSource Church circa. 1997 that said I would reach millions of people with the Gospel and we see this coming to pass through our direct contribution to Diospi Suyana radio and TV in Peru.

The timing of each of my Diospi site visits was nothing short of miraculous in the face of the chaotic political demonstrations in this country at the moment.  For example travelling to Cusco was on one of two days the Panamericana highway blockade was removed in the period we were there.  This could not have been planned.  And it preceded our need to be in Cusco to catch our return flight to Australia.

Isaac was a terrific help to me throughout, from assisting me with the engineering aspects (and learning along the way), to being seriously beneficial with my Spanish comprehension, as I find not all native speakers are so easy to grasp.  But Isaac’s additional Spanish studies over the past couple of years proved invaluable.  And also his help with logistics of moving stuff around as/when needed with his ever fun persona made him a joy to be with the whole time.   I invited Isaac to write some of his own thoughts of our trip for this blog which he was happy to do, copied as follows:

It was great to be back in Peru. Great to see Cusco, Curahuasi, and the mountains all again. The place is nothing like Australia. Adobe houses, rubbish-filled streets, stray dogs everywhere, and poverty on all sides. Not what one would think to find an exciting thing to come back to, but it was for us. After finally getting to Curahuasi, I noticed a few changes. The place was mostly the same, however just with a new building here and a changed building there. Not enough to feel different, but enough to be noticeable. However, the hospital was practically the same. It felt crazy to be back.

My work with Dad was a great experience! I learnt a number of on-the-job skills, such as analysing problems in broadcast equipment, managing towers, helping out with installing cables and providing moral support. I was also given an amazing opportunity to refresh and practice my Spanish as I helped translate for Dad, and chat with old and new friends. The time was also a spiritually moving experience, letting me see again firsthand how blessed we are, and how in need these people are, not only for money or a stable government but for Jesus Christ.

 Here is my summary of the main objectives achieved:

1. Install the satellite test loop translator at the Curahuasi Centro de Medios to enable fixing the satellite telemetry system.
2. Worked with ND Satcom engineers in China for a number of days to identify the complex fault with the satellite telemetry system using the new test loop translator (which was absolutely necessary!).
3. Install a new FM audio processor (Orban Optimod 6300) to greatly improve the radio sound across the entire network.
4. Install a new rack audio monitoring system to assist local studio staff to quickly identify any radio audio distribution issues for both satellite uplink and downlink.
5. A major broadcast centre rack cabling tidy up which was overdue after years of my absence
6. Repair the Abancay FM site radio transmitter.
7. Remediate the Abancay FM site lightning protection system installation and commission the FM antenna system.
8. Remediate the Curahuasi FM site TV and radio RF feeder cables and recommission these antennas.
9. Design and have fabricated the Curahuasi TV antenna panel mount position changes to improve coverage (to be installed by local rigger next week).
10. Audit the Urcos FM site for cable remediation and commission the FM antenna system.
11. Remediate the Cusco FM site installation and complete the installation. Commission the transmitter system to launch this new service on Monday 23 January.
12. Updated Centro de Medios drawings and made many notes to correct and reissue many other drawings for staff reference.
13. Compile a work list for things that are missing and need to be followed up in the near future to complete Curahuasi, Abancay, Urcos and Cusco to an acceptable standard.

Sorry this is possibly a bit technical for most, but I know some readers will appreciate the detail! J.  Even for these things to happen, there were so many miraculous events – too many to write about here.

After Cusco FM was launched, I was overwhelmed the next day to hear an article broadcast by broadcast centre General Manager, Doris de Llerena-Manco, that recognised our Welch Family in Peru contribution to Diospi Radio from the beginning in 2016 (recounting some of the miraculous happenings) for those 3 years and again now for this short 3 week trip.  This includes all the supporters that enabled it to happen and a big THANK YOU to you all.

Just this week (Thursday 2 February) from Perth I continued to support Diospi with AutoCAD design drawing support for the new FM site in Anta which is about to commence construction. This was gratefully received as I was able to correct some fundamental errors just in time.

 The following are a montage of photos of the second half of our trip (in chronological order);

Isaac posing in front of our Curahuasi radio and TV transmission site (30m tower) during a maintenance visit.

Here is our Rohde & Schwarz RF analyser which we bought at auction in 2015 in faith before our Peru mission began. We sold this to Diospi Suyana in 2016 to enable importation into Peru (albeit still has our Welch Family Investments label on the front to remind us 😊).

Me at work reconnecting an RF connector onto a cut back feeder cable for the TV signal to complete an installation that was done temporarily back in 2017. Another installation not previously finished due to time constraints.

Here I am testing the antenna with our R&S RF analyser after fitting a new RF connector and making some FM antenna element adjustments.

On Sunday 15 January, we enjoyed a lunch with the Centro de Medios (Broadcast Centre) team and their families in our old house where now Doris de Llerena lives with her husband Emilio (original owner of the casa la hacienda farmhouse and who we rented it from).

Isaac and I enjoyed a nostalgic visit to our old farmhouse home of 2 ½ years from 2016 to 2019. So many memories here.  So much of my renovation work still enjoyed now by Doris and Emilio.

Here Isaac learns how to fit a crimp RF connector to a new cable we installed for a new test system on our satellite uplink antenna.

The main 2.4m satellite uplink of the Diospi Suyana Centro de Medios (in background). This has 1+1 fully redundant uplink and downlink equipment to optimum service availability for our Peru radio network (and indeed, all of Latin America direct to home!).

 

Here can be seen the uplink test loop translator cross-guide-coupler now installed by me and which was then used to fault find the satellite telemetry problems.

 

Isaac and I take a moment to mark the completed upgraded and refurbished Centro de Medios satellite uplink antenna.

Isaac and me on top of the Cusco 30m broadcast tower (hospital Diospi Suyana rooftop seen in background immediately to the right of my helmet).

A blockade on the Panamericana en route to Cusco which had been cleared enough to allow one lane of traffic past. The 2 day opening enabled critical supply lines to get through to stock shop shelves after some 3 weeks of total blockade and protests.

 

The Diospi Suyana Hilux on the side of the Panamericana which was cleared for just 2 days during our entire Peru visit, being when we needed to get to Cusco (a clear answer to prayer!).

Driving on the Panamericana through the rural town of Izcuchaca (where it was blocked for 10km on our arrival) I noticed a baby in the arms of its mother riding the back of the motorbike (too small for a helmet 😟).

What a relief when we arrived in Cusco 2 days before our return flight after some 3 weeks of the Panamericana being blocked. This is a luxury hotel afforded as there are currently nearly zero tourists in Cusco due to political violence. We were the only guests in this hotel (thus the free upgrade 😁).

This is the vista from the Diospi Suyana Urcos FM site servicing both sides of the valley from the hilltop 400 metres above the amazing blue lake (3,156m AMSL) in the centre. Note the legacy broadcast sites constructed of adobe (mud brick) near our new Diospi FM site (behind - not in view).

 

On Sunday 22 January we arrived in time to climb the tower and inspect and RL test the Diospi Suyana Urcos site FM 100.9 MHz antenna.  This was the very day we then cut over to the new DB Electronica transmitters to air (as the temporary FM transmitter what was being used behind me in the photo had failed 2 days before).  Here I am posing with Cusco based missionary engineer, Señor Victor Moreno who I worked with during this Peru trip and shared much of our Australian broadcast ways (of which he so genuinely appreciated).

 

This is my Diospi colleague Señor David Manco in a Cusco electrical hardware shop where we needed to pick up some earthing supplies to complete our FM installation.

I stopped to buy some soft drinks from this lady from her shop near our Cusco FM site. Note the dirt kitchen floor is typical of homes in southern Peru.

This is the home / shop front of the vendor from whom I bought some soft drinks near our Cusco FM site.

The broadcast hill of Cusco of which Diospi Suyana FM tower now stands (centre) amongst the some 50 other towers (both forward and behind this photo).

An aspect of local residents opposite our Cusco FM transmission site. Note the adobe (mud brick) walls and makeshift construction.

A typical home in Cusco city heights near our FM transmitter site revealing the poverty in the region we are reaching.

The Diospi Suyana FM 100.1 MHz site and tower with our Centro de Medios Hilux 4x4 outside.

At 5:50pm Monday 23 January, a team celebration was had with the launch of Cusco FM 100.1 MHz. Note Dr Klaus, Doris & Louis made the 2.5 hr trip from Curahuasi Hospital to celebrate for about an hour, and then turn around to return before the Panamericana was again blocked at midnight.

Another group celebration photo pose this time in front of the satellite antenna, with Doris officially cutting the ribbon.

Finally on board a Cusco flight to home. Our previous flight the night before was cancelled due to political protests.  Another miracle, as our new route via Auckland was just in time as hours after we transferred to Perth, the Auckland International Airport was closed for days due to flooding from torrential rains.

 

Isaac and I received a most amazing loving family welcome at Perth International airport.

 

And finally home again! 😁

I want to sign off with this which came to me about midway during this visit to Peru:

Isaiah 42:1-4 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth.  In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

The take away message here is that Jesus Christ is the only hope for national justice. No government, no movement, no peacekeeping force or other group will ultimately succeed delivering true Peace. This is why Diospi radio is relevant right now in Peru, to get the message of truth to as many as possible.  I was able to encourage the Diospi Centro de Medios team with this and to stand firm on the unshakeable Word of God. As all else will fade away (Matthew 24:35).

Thank you, Chris