After Monday night’s shutdown and signoff of CJAM 91.5, the University of Windsor’s campus radio station, the real work began on installing a new antenna and reconfigured transmitter the roof of Laurier Hall.

Shortly after noon on Tuesday, engineers from Grundy Telcom Integration arrived on campus with new antenna parts, and brought them 11 stories up to the roof of Sir Wilfred Laurier Hall — a residence building at the University of Windsor.

The existing antenna consists of two lobes encased in protective radomes, attached to an antenna pole which is nitrogen-cooled to prevent moisture.

The antenna is mounted to a steel mast measuring 49.4 meters, is supported by three guywires, and emanates from the top of Laurier’s mechanical room (12 stories up).

The first step was to remove the two existing radomes from the tower.  These radomes were pointed toward Windsor and provided a directional transmission into the Windsor area.  The new antenna will be ‘omnidirectional’, and will increase CJAM’s penetration into the Detroit market.

Colin Costello from Gundy Telcom loosens bolts that secured the old antenna to the mast.  This antenna was installed in 1996 when CJAM 95.1 FM received permission to increase its power to 914 watts max.

Grundy engineers Colin Costello loosens a heliaxial cable from the base of the antenna, while Dan O’Hoski secures the radome from above.

The pair remove the antenna from the mast and carefully lower it to the floor of the roof.

Colin Costello from Grundy Telcom hanging off the mast.

Grundy’s Devin Millen prepares to lower the radome to the main roof level, and instructs the other two engineers to prepare a pully system.

Work on the roof didn’t go unnoticed!!

They prepare to lower the 200 lb radome from the top of the mechanical room’s roof, trying carefully to avoid rooftop planters placed there by the Green Corridor program.

Carefully guided…

…the radome and antenna pole come down successfully.  Repeat once more for the other half of the antenna, and it was time to call it a day.

The view from the top of Laurier Hall:  the University of Windsor’s modern-style buildings.

Phase one of the transition to CJAM 99.1 MHz FM is complete!  The bare antenna mast awaits its new antenna, which will be installed bright and early on Wednesday morning.

Check out Windsor Visuals on Thursday for Part Two:  the installation and testing of CJAM’s new antenna and signal!