East Hawaiʻi HPR-2 (KAHU) Transmitter

Hawaiʻi Island supporters have been actively working to bring HPR-2's services to East Hawaiʻi. The HPR-2 programming stream features national and international news, local talk, jazz, blues, Hawaiian and Brazilian music, and more. The $150,000 goal for the grassroots capital campaign was met and exceeded in January 2015. Those funds will go toward state-of-the-art equipment, engineering and legal services, and first-year overhead.

The antenna farm at Kulani Cone, the site from which the new HPR plant must broadcast if it is to cover all of East Hawai‘i, as intended, has several towers. One by one, each was found to be inaccessible or impractical for one reason or another. In September 2015, however, we successfully negotiated for a tower previously owned by Hawaiian Telcom and recently purchased by InSite Corporation.

Construction began in mid-April. See photos here.

HPR was finally given permission by the towers' owner to make the structural repairs that needed to be completed before we can hang our 700-pound antennas on the structure. The old Hawaiian Telcom antennas were removed from the tower and our transmitters have arrived and been delivered to the building on-site.

The old rusty sections have now been removed from the tower; new cross members and much of the antenna support bracket system were completed last week. The HPR antenna system is ready to be lifted into place on the tower, and work will resume as soon as the expected extreme weather passes.

Meanwhile, transmitters and other essential indoors equipment are connected and ready to activate. Microwave links from Mauna Loa and Halai Hill in Hilo are ready to install.

This is a very complicated project for a number of reasons, but it s moving along as quickly as possible.

Once again, our thanks to our East Hawaiʻi listeners for their patience.

Join the honor roll of KAHU Charter Members helping to bring HPR-2's services to East Hawaiʻi.

Call HPR's Membership Department at (808) 955-8821 during business hours or click here to donate now.

Thank you for your support!