Bolinas Transmitter BL-11
We knew of transmitter BL-11 long before we began our project. Kid brother of the famous transmitter BL-10, the diminuitive BL-11 provided backup capability for KPH on MF. Archival photos showed BL-11 installed on the upper gallery above the Alexanderson alternators in Building 1. A later photo showed BL-11 installed in Building 42, the tuning house for BL-10. When we first arrived at the Bolinas site to begin our project, one of the first tasks was the removal of decades of detritus that had accumulated in the various buildings, including the generator building near Building 2. MRHS member Richard Dillman writes:
As we started cleaning out the generator building various historic items started to emerge. After moving some junk the corner of a table was revealed, a table I recognized. It was the table on which transmitter once rested. Nearby were the motor-generator sets that once powered the transmitter. But BL-11 was not to be found.
Later we discovered where BL-11 was located but circumstances prevented its recovery. But circumstances change and finally, ten years after the discovery of the table, BL-11 returned home. The MRHS Transmitter Department has already begun a preliminary examination of BL-11 with a view toward returning it to life.
