[TowerTalk] towers/liability/permits/wind speed

[Chanel1096@aol.com]

In a message dated 12/13/00 6:53:38 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
jtolbert@gremlan.org writes:

> A recent cold front that moved through Northeastern Ohio and Northwestern Pa
>  had wind gusts clocked at over 83 mph, sustained at 60+ for several hours.
>  Talk on all the local repeaters and mailing lists centered around how much
>  damage the local ham population suffered. Other than a local with an old
>  Hustler vertical that broke no one that I am aware of suffered any damage 
to
>  their towers, certainly none of them fell over. This in spite of all the
>  trees, power poles, tv antennas and even a cement retaining wall that fell
>  on a police cruiser ( yes, parked at a donut shop. They were not injured 
but
>  their eyes were "glazed" over :) ) Food for thought next time a zoning
>  board, insurance company or homeowners association questions the ability of
>  a properly erected amateur tower to sustain heavy winds.
>  
>  73 Jamie WW3S
>  
Keep in mind however that the minimum sustained wind speed for the towers 
should be 70 mph and the approximate equivalent gust is 90 mph.  Based on 
that a sustained wind speed on 65 mph puts only 86% of the load that a 70 mph 
wind will with the differential between 83 and 90 mph being about 85%.  So 
all of the installations, if up to code should have readily survived the 
storm that you mentioned.  

-Bill

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