Topband: Yikes! Heavy snow, freezing fog and 23 degrees F in Raleigh, NC

[Charlie Cunningham]

Yes, Bruce, that's what happened to the 2000 ft WRAL-TV tower here some
years back. They said that chunks of ice were coming off those gu y wires to
the south the size of refrigerators.  The unequal loading on the tower and
the vibration of the guys was just too much and the whole structure failed!
I was driving up to Raleigh from Smithfield on Highway 70 the next morning -
and what a shock! There was no 2000 ft tower over there beside 70!  Un
believable!!

73.
Charlie, K4OTV

-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce [mailto:k1fz at myfairpoint.net] 
Sent: Wednesday, February 12, 2014 3:40 PM
To: Tom W8JI; Bill Stewart; Charlie Cunningham
Cc: topband at contesting.com
Subject: Re: Topband: Yikes! Heavy snow,freezing fog and 23 degrees F in
Raleigh, NC

Hope for cloudy days after the ice build up. Towers often fail when the sun 
heats the south guy wires. When the ice drops off rapidly, the weight on the

north guy wires can pull the tower over.

73
Bruce-k1fz


>> We have about 3-4 in. of snow on the gnd, and just started to
>> sleet, and maybe some rain, abt an hr ago. We are in the country
>
> I have about a half inch of radial ice at the moment. The ropes for almost

> all of my wire antennas have snapped, and the Yagi's all look like 
> noodles.