This structure was very heavy-duty and appears to have been very well made.
It's sad and surprising to me that a 78 mph wind brought it down.
73,
Dick- K9OM
RADIO ARCALA LANDSCAPE IS ONE SHORT (Press Release dated December 6th).
Jarmo, OH2BN, reports: "While driving to the Arctic region north of the
city of Oulu at 65degrees North, you will now find the wintry landscape
more naked than before. Something is missing from the landscape, a reflec-
tion of the challenges facing the stormy and icy North. Sorrow has
descended on the population of the village of Arkala.
It was the recent storm Oskari creating gusts of up to 68 knots (78MPH)
that not only knocked down the massive 330ft (100m) 40+ ton 160/80M array
but also left 200,000 homes in Finland without electricity. The mammoth
structure collapsed peacefully, not hitting any of the other six towers,
not hurting people or damaging buildings.
As professional engineering efforts had up to now ensured the survival
of this 5-year old structure, inspectors are busy trying to evaluate the
cause of the failure. It is suspected that automation designed to enable
the array to find its most comfortable position in high winds somehow
locked up and caused the structure to corkscrew. Consequently the giant
crumbled down on its on base just like the WTC building in those other
sad years.
But life goes on at Radio Arcala at OH8X and you may soon hear Santa
Claus from the North of Finland bringing you the joy of Christmas in the
form of OF9X, beaming over the North Pole on 20 meters and capitalizing
on the famous Polar Path during the Holiday Season.
Thank you for your interest in Radio Arcala and many of its unforgettable
endeavors. In summary, we would like to share with you this short poem
and these consoling words of wisdom from the late Professor Hugh Cassidy,
WA6AUD: 'The grief we feel we cannot tell. A sad day it was as our tower
fell.'" A picture is available in the HTML format version of the OPDX at:
http://www.papays.com/BoyResting2.jpg
Also, visit the Radio Arcala Web page for possible updates and pictures
of the tower before it fell at: http://www.radioarcala.com
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