Radio San Miguel Arcangel,
San Miguel de Pallaques (6340 kHz)

Provincia de San Miguel,
Departamento de Cajamarca, Peru

by Takayuki Inoue Nozaki

It was on July 12, 1980 that Radio San Miguel Arcangel was founded by Manuel Lozano Gil as the first broadcasting enterprise in the Province of San Miguel. The studio and transmitting plant were established at Jiron Bolivar No. 354 in front of Plaza de Armas. The station has aimed at supporting cultural, educational and economical development through radio broadcasts for the people living in the isolated communities located in the Province of San Miguel.

Initially it had been broadcasting on 5720 kHz on shortwave with a transmitter of 0.25 kW output power, which was built by Luis Gonzalez Bertice, a radio engineer living in Chiclayo. Initially, Its transmissions were made at 2300-0400 (i.e. 1800-2300 local time) while electricity supply only supplied in the town. The station operated with private diesel generators when it had special event programs.

In the 1980's, telephone and mail service were not available in many villages of the Province of San Miguel and the remote inlands of Northern Peru, therefore radio stations played an important role as the medium of communications, and carried out the airwaves taking the place of telephones and telegrams.

Radio San Miguel Arcangel has concentrated on the personal announcements and social service since its foundation. As of 1980's, the average number of personal announcements were 80-100 per day and record dedication were 30. The circumstances of local broadcasting have been gradually changing and telephone service was inaugurated in the province during last five years. Nowadays the electricity is available for 24 hours a day. As a result, the average number of personal announcements per day were only two or three and record dedications only 10 per day as of October of 2001. Eventually, the daily income from the social service had sharply decreased compared with the average in the 1980's.

A new transmitter in 1996

In February of 1996, Radio San Miguel Arcangel shifted its frequency from traditional 5720 kHz to 6340 kHz to avoid the interference of Radio Frecuencia San Ignacio (5700 kHz). At that time, a new transmitter, which was manufactured by Enrique Vargas, a radio engineer in Trujillo, was purchased. Its output power is nominally rated as 1 kW, but it was run with a reduced power of 0.6 kW for better performance and to avoid overmodulation. Then, the station was off the air due to financial difficulties from May of 1996 through December of 1997.

When Radio San Miguel Arcangel resumed its transmissions in January of 1998, the broadcasting schedule was extended to provide a variety of programs from the early morning through the evening. The station broadcast for 16 hours of programming, including music shows, light entertainment, information, personal message service, and religious from 1100 to 0300 (i.e. 0600-2200 local time) daily.

At that time, the station carried its programs on 1370 kHz medium wave at 1100-2300 and on 6340 kHz shortwave at 2300-0300. The station utilized the same transmitter for both the shortwave and medium wave outlets by switching the crystal according to the schedule. However, the commercial value was not virtually acknowledged on shortwave nowadays, thus the station ceased the shortwave broadcast in July of 2001. Eventually, the station only broadcasts on 1360 kHz medium wave. As of October of 2001, the station runs with a staff of three persons with the station owner and broadcasts at 1100-0200 from Monday to Sunday.

Studio: Jiron Bolivar No. 354, San Miguel de Pallaques, Provincia de San Miguel, Departamento de Cajamarca, Peru.

(published on October 7, 2002, originally published in Japan Relampago DX)