Down the memory Lane by PREM CHANDRA GUPTA

Field posting at GORAYA  Punjab in 1968, GORAYA

Originally a 50 Kw MW Westinghouse Transmitter for Jullundur Radio station was installed at Goraya, a place between Ludhiana and Jullundur.  Actual site is between Phagwara and Goraya , it is about 5 km from Phagwara and 45 km from Jullundur. Staff quarters were also constructed where Einc (a post between Station Engineer and Deputy Chief Engineer) and all other staff used to stay at site. This was one of the transmitters which were installed at Calcutta, Lucknow, Madras, Bombay etc around independence of India. In 1967-68 one 100 Kw Mw Transmitter was installed there. A parasitic self radiating mast along with the main mast was also installed to modify the radiation pattern to direct it towards Pakistan. This was to carry Urdu Service and some component of Punjabi programme from Jullundur. At that time 50 Kw Transmitter was shifted to a new building and was being rewired afresh. The transmitter had a 6 feet deep tunnel below its racks to carry blower air to cool the valves. One night when testing was going on around 2 am one of my senior colleague feeling sleepy but still working stepped into the pit entrance to the tunnel and fell. His jaw bone was broken. He had to be taken to Jullundur for medical help next morning, there were not many Dental surgeons those days, however his jaw was set, mouth was immobilized by fixing wire between the teeth of lower and upper jaw.

I and a few other installation staff were staying at Phagwara as there was no accommodation for the installation staff at Goraya Transmitter site. Mr D.W.Palekar Installation Engineer for the project (post equivalent to Einc) was also staying with me. I was assigned the work of testing the control circuit for the transmitter and also to supervise the installation of the studio at Jullundur Radio Station. This Studio was to feed the programme to the 100 Kw transmitter.  Although I was designated as Installation Officer Field Strength Survey, I was assigned duties as AE for testing of the transmitter. Since The 100 Kw transmitter was regularly working between 6 am to 11 pm the testing time was between 11pm to 5 am only. My work schedule was starting from Phagwara at 10:30 pm to Goraya , work overnight till 5.00 am come back to Phagwara, have bath take breakfast, run to catch a local train to Jullundur, work there from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm return by the 5:15 local to reach Phagwara, eat dinner at 6 to 6:30 pm and sleep for two three hours, and then go to Goraya for night testing. This routine was almost for one full month. Since Mr Palekar was with us CPC vehicle will take us to Transmitter site and bring us back in the morning.

During this period of testing Late Mr V.B.Pradhan who was in Transmitter Design section of P&D Unit also came to adjust the Input feeding Circuit to the Parasitic Mast. This was to pick the signal from the main mast and re-radiate thus modify the radiation pattern. During his stay I was involved in the Tuning the mast input circuit along with one technician in the night after the transmitter was switched off, and then during the day I will go with the vehicle and take measurements of the field strength along a route starting from Jullundur, Nakodar, Phillaur, Banga towards NavaSshahr, Mahelpur towards Hoshiarpur and back o Jullundur. This was an elongated rectangle, encircling the transmitter site. After checking the strength, further changes will be made in the night in the mast input circuit. It took almost one week to complete the work finally when Mr Pradhan was satisfied and left for Delhi.

Installation of Studio at Jullundur;-  As I have mentioned above a new transmission studio with announcer’s mike, turn tables, and facility for the relay from receiving center was being installed at A.I.R. Jullundur, which I was made responsible. Acoustic work was already complete only Rack wiring was to be done with jack strips and Audio Console was to be wired up. Normal practice in CPC which I had noticed was that testing was done only after completing the total wiring work. There used to be many problems cropping up at the testing time and it would take days to rectify. I told the technician who was doing the wiring work to give me the test daily for the day’s work 15 minutes before winding up for the day. He was very reluctant to begin with; I explained that testing daily work will reduce the final testing time. He agreed and followed the routine of getting the day’s work, tested the same evening. Two three times some faults were noticed which were promptly rectified. And finally the Console was also wired up. It took hardly 20 minutes to give a final test and every thing was through with out any hitch. The technician finally promised that he would follow the practice in future at other installations.

Some Hardships faced by the staff at Goraya; - The Site for the transmitter installation was in between Phagwara and Goraya a small township about 10 Km away. Although the location was on the Highway connecting Jullundur and Ludhiana and buses used to ply very frequently but no bus will ever stop at the transmitter site. Only one or two local buses used to ply between the two places e.g. Phagwara and Goraya. The service was hourly from either side and it was invariably full of passengers and will not stop at the transmitter site. Many times we will board the bus to Goraya and return by the same to go to Phagwara. Once my wife asked me to come early so that we could go to see a picture, I took permission from my boss and left at 3 pm thinking I would be able to reach home by 6 pm to catch the show at 6:30. I waited long time and went to Goraya and finally reached home at 7:30 pm much after the picture time. You may imagine the picture we had in the house. It was only with the intervention of Mr Palekar things could be patched up. It was Mr Goyal Einc who arranged a vehicle for the children of the staff to go to school at Jullundur and back in the evening. Later the same bus will take other members of staff for any Shopping or work at Jullundur once a week. There was no transportation from Radio Station to Transmitter, because staff quarters were constructed there. I don’t know what is the situation now? Some time in June/ July 1968 I was called back to CPC and then transferred to Television Station Delhi.

Contributed by

PREM CHANDRA premchandra33@gmail.com