[TowerTalk] Tower lighting

[Lee Buller]

>Dear Lee:
>
>I read your message with considerable amusement.  There is a very good
>reason why someone might need to light a ham radio tower.  And it really is
>not very hard to figure out.  If the tower is 250 feet tall.  And one would
>be ill advised to use the method you suggest.  They would not "be done with
>it" using the suggested configuration, because the maintenence required to
>keep the lights working with your suggested system would be very time
>consuming.  I doubt that a 255 timer and 12 volt bulbs would survive the
>first thunderstorm.  And although you may not wish to have the neighbors
>notice the tower, it is desirable to have low flying aircraft notice the
>tower, which, of course, is the whole point to the lights OM ... not "vanity".
>
>73,
>
>Sid K5XI
>k5xi@wt.net
>
Sid...

When I wrote that post a week ago...the original post did not make it on my
screen.  I was responding to a response to the original post.  I will
remember never to do that again.  The original post described the
installation close to an airport the response I read did not include that
information.  Well, I assumed from the response I read from the original
post that this was a vanity issue.  I fully well know about towers and the
FAA after working in the broadcasting area for several years.  My first
thought was why would anyone want to do such (not thinking of a real close
proximity to an airport) because it is very expensive to light a tower and
to keep it that way.  Top flashers can burn up 1200 watts of power on each
flash.

My solution was to give those people with the vanity issue a way of lighting
their tower without the cost of buying and maintaining expensive lights.
I've seen that done for vanity issues.  

I am fully aware of the problems a small tower could make in the area of an
airport or active air field.  Personally, I missed the boat on the
post...and came off looking pretty stupid.

73
Lee
k0wa@southwind.net


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