Flying high across the airwaves
Across Foxton are volunteers from every walk of life helping the community in almost every way you can think of. In this occasional series of photo-articles, the MAVtech Museum’s photographer Jacob Brookie is using vintage cameras from the museum’s collection to show you a day in the life of our town’s volunteers. This edition revisits the team at Radio Foxton as they install the much awaited new aerial.
Radio Foxton has been broadcasting since 1991 and more Horowhenua towns can now pick up the signal. At the end of last year the station’s volunteers installed a new aerial and cable, with the improved signal now being heard in Waitarere, Himatangi, Tokomaru, Linton Camp and in many parts of Levin on 105.4FM. But installing a new aerial on top of one of Foxton’s tallest buildings takes more than just a step ladder. With the help of Caldows, a truck with a lifting basket was carefully backed down the driveway between Foxton’s Coronation Hall (home to Radio Foxton’s studios and MAVtech) and the Foxton Police Station. Radio Foxton volunteers Xan and Zeb went aloft in the basket, carefully removing the old aerial and installing its replacement. Station manager Xan said he felt very safe in the basket despite the height. “I felt significantly safer on the business end of that Hi-Ab three plus storeys up, than I did the day before on my four-foot ladder when I did the aerial test at home!” Xan is also very excited about the new reception range and says, “I knew we had achieved something very special for Radio Foxton. We were truly back! And a burden that had been on my shoulders for the last three and a half years, while the temporary aerial was in use, was suddenly lifted.” He added that his spirits were as high as the new aerial even when he returned to the ground. When MAVtech hosted a Christmas screening of cartoons the aerial transmitted its first outside broadcast, and can now reach more communities to the benefit of Foxton and the station’s advertisers. This year, Radio Foxton is giving a new twist to one of its favourite shows. Since 2015 the Album @ Eight has been broadcast on 105.4FM — but now the public is choosing the albums. Listeners have the chance to hear their favourite albums played on air, complete with a personal introduction. Simply send in the name of your top album, and you can include a pre-recorded introduction. A new album is broadcast fortnightly at 8pm on a Thursday. Some of MAVtech’s volunteers will also be selecting albums to play. With thousands of recordings in the museum’s collection, there is plenty of inspiration! Xan says “listener requests for these shows have always been welcome” but for the 2024 Album @ Eight series, it’s the first time Radio Foxton decided to entirely focus on listener selections, with this being the driving theme of the show for this year. The photographs in this article were taken by MAVtech volunteer and photographer Jacob Brookie using a 1984 Praktica TL3 camera.
Made in what was then East Germany, this was a single lens reflex aimed at the beginner who wanted a basic but sturdy camera. It was later revealed that its manufacturer Pentacon was making each one at a loss — so it really was a bargain! Visit www.mavtech.org.nz to learn more about Album @ Eight and send in your pick to be played on air. If you cannot pick up 105.4FM on your radio, the website also has a digital audio stream. Radio Foxton have plans to further expand the reception range. You can see the team at the Shannon Spectacular Car Show on February 18 at the Shannon Domain, where DJs Xan and Zeb will be MCing.