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[TowerTalk] Tower lighting

To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] Tower lighting
From: kn6di@IDT.NET (Daniel H. Arney Jr.)
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 1997 15:12:11 -0700
Lee Buller wrote:
> 
> Why would there ever be a need to light a ham radio tower?  Lights on a
> tower are very expensive.  If I remember right from my broadcast engineering
> days; a typical flashing beacon light is very large (larger than you would
> think) and is composed of two 620 watt light bulbs.  I think the flashing
> figures are so big that they really wouldn't fit well on 25G...but well on
> 55G.  The bulbs are expensive.  They don't make the 115 volt bulbs anymore,
> so you have to run 220 volts up the tower.  Typical side lights are 115
> watts with two bulbs too.
> 
> I think the rules state that on commercial towers the voltage sag from the
> bottom to the top has to under three percent.  That means a lot of heavy
> wire going to the top of the tower.
> 
> Also, the rules state that anything under 200 feet doesn't have to use
> lights or be painted in alternate International Orange and International
> White.  Now that might be different if your tower is in the flight pattern
> of some airport.  The FAA will have a lot to say about that.
> 
> If I was going to light my tower, and I cannot figure out why anyone really
> would want to except for vanity, I would use some 12 volt tail lights you
> could get from any auto parts store.  Use a 555 timer to flash them...and be
> done with it.
> 
> The whole project sounds like a waist of time to me.  I really don't want
> the neighbors to notice the tower anyway.
> 
> IMHO
> 
> Lee
> k0wa@southwind.net
> 
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The FAA Advisory Circular that covers this spec's the lights and IF YOU
LIGHT THE TOWER WETHER REQUIRED OR NOT, if I remember correctly the
lights must meet spec's Lots of BUX.
Hank KN6DI

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