Big Island officials have quietly closed one of the island’s more frustrating blind spots: KWXX and Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense can now beam radio from Hilo around Mauna Loa to reach Kaʻū and South Kona, giving communities in the long-standing “radio shadow” a better shot at catching urgent alerts during fast-moving emergencies.
How The Signal Gets Around Mauna Loa
According to Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency's Laulima newsletter, KWXX and Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense teamed up on a technical workaround that routes Hilo-based broadcasts around Mauna Loa to the island's southern flank. The newsletter says the setup lets KWXX carry emergency messages into Kaʻū and South Kona, terrain that has made reliable coverage a headache for years, and directs readers to the current issue for the full engineering breakdown.
Microwave Hops And High‑Elevation Relays
The solution follows a familiar island playbook: microwave "hops" feeding relay sites on high ground to leapfrog ridgelines and lava slopes. Hawai‘i Public Radio has long used microwave links on Mauna Loa and Halaʻi Hill to feed transmitters at Kulani, and local reporting has mapped similar relay chains into Kaʻū, a proven way to stitch radio coverage through volcanic terrain that is anything but signal-friendly.
Where To Tune And Why It Matters
Listeners are told to tune to 94.7 FM in Hilo or 101.5 FM for Kona to hear KWXX and any Civil Defense bulletins. KWXX lists 94.7 and 101.5 as its Hilo and Kona dial positions, and the state stresses that old-school radio still matters when things go sideways. Radio remains a resilient backup for emergency alerts when phone networks and internet services go dark, according to Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency.
Testing The Fix And Reaching Residents
County and station officials say they will run the partnership through its paces during public preparedness events and routine checks so engineers can confirm reception in newly covered pockets. Hawaii News Now reported that recent Disaster Preparedness Fairs in Kailua‑Kona featured live KWXX segments and Civil Defense outreach booths, and the County of Hawaiʻi Civil Defense site keeps resources online for residents looking to double-check alert settings and evacuation information.
Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency highlighted the Laulima article on its X account and pointed followers back to the newsletter, a public nod to the KWXX and Civil Defense partnership. Officials say more coverage checks and community outreach are on the way as they keep an eye on how the new signal path performs in Kaʻū and South Kona.
