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Re: [TowerTalk] TOWER HEATER???

To: "Tower (K8RI)" <tower@rogerhalstead.com>,"Jose Castillo" <N4BAA@cox.net>, <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] TOWER HEATER???
From: Joe - WDØM <WD0M@centurytel.net>
Date: Tue, 02 Nov 2004 09:14:49 -0700
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
Having lived in Alaska for many years, we never even thought about heating a tower.....antennas may suffer from time-to-time. For a picture of the impact of icing on antennas and towers, check my old WL7M web site - the picture is toward the bottom of the page.....scroll down to find it....

http://www.xyz.net/~joe/

It survived fine, despite having about 3 inches of ICE on it......

I agree with Roger....we basically do nothing. Nature takes care of it. If you go out and bang the tower with a hammer or 2x4 section, you're going to have to run fast or the ice will hit you as it falls - not a good thing to do.....leave it alone.

73,
Joe
WDØM
(ex-WL7M)


At 09:06 AM 11/2/2004, Tower (K8RI) wrote:




What is the best way (IF any) to keep your tower from icing
in the winter???
You Canadian boys found a way to prevent this yet??

Towers really don't ice up in the winter *except* during an ice storm. It's far harder on the antennas than the tower.


We had an ice storm (believe it was in 76) that took out over a mile of power line just to the West of me. The lines had over 3" of ice on them. In the wind it busted off every one of those poles. We had a maximum spam feeding the power pole. The lines coming up to the poles had stretched to the point where the bottom of the catenary was only 3' off the ground *after* the ice had melted.

I didn't lose a single tower of antenna, but they looked pretty sick with all the ice on them. When the ice fell off they straightened right back up.

When the rain starts freezing I do occasionally think of what I might possibly do to prevent it, or get rid of it.

But the straight answer is, nornmally we do nothing.

Roger Halstead (K8RI, EN73 & ARRL Life Member)
N833R, World's Oldest Debonair (S# CD-2)
www.rogerhalstead.com


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See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless Weather Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.

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