WLTC-FM Nautel NV15 Transmitter PA Module Cooling Fan Replacement – September 28, 2021

One of the six cooling fans on RF Module #1 in the WLTC-FM Nautel NV15 transmitter had failed. Along with the overall quality of Nautel’s transmitters, I particularly love the depth and breadth of the remote alarm and alert notification features included in their transmitters. In this case, I had received an automatic notification letting me know that fan #6 on RF module #1 had failed. I was able to remotely access and drill-down to the fan speeds and confirmed that fan #6 on that module was not running, showing “0 RPM” in the real-time metering. Before even going to the site, we had ordered and had the replacement fan in-hand, so I was able to get it diagnosed and perform the repair/replacement in a single trip. I like having that ability, and I’m sure the client appreciates the fact that it eliminated an extra trip to the site (around 3 hours of round-trip travel time plus on-site troubleshooting time) which equates to $$$ they get to keep in the bank.

Removal of an RF module from the Nautel NV15 is a breeze. Just remove two screws and just slide it out. The RF modules are a bit heavy, but they’re very well built and very reliable. In the years I’ve been the contract/consulting broadcast engineer for the owner of WLTC-FM, this is the only time I’ve had to remove or work on any of the eight RF modules in this transmitter. They have proven themselves to be extremely reliable.
RF module positioned on the transmitter room floor. In this photo you can see me removing the screws which hold the cover on the module in order to access the cooling fans.
RF module with cover removed. The six cooling fans along the edge of the module are easily accessible and can be changed-out very easily.
Closer view of cooling fan #6, which had failed. Once the cover is removed from the module, replacing the fan only requires removal of the two long bolts and the white fan power and speed sensor wiring plug/connector which can be seen just behind the fan.
Inspecting and installing the replacement fan. Piece of cake. Thank you, Nautel, for making this transmitter a relative breeeze to work on compared to most of the transmitters I maintain for all of my clients.
With the fan replaced and the module back in the transmitter, it only took a few touches of the transmitters large, touchscreen GUI to drill down and confirm the fan speed. All done. And the only tool required for the entire repair job was one screwdriver. If all of the transmitters I maintain were as easy to work on as this Nautel NV15, I’d probably need to moonlight in some other field 😉