[TowerTalk] mystery low band antenna between Chevrol and Goujon, France (near St Emilion)

[Eric Scace K3NA]

    I am curious about the use and design of an unusual high 
power, low band antenna which I saw recently while cycling 
in France.  I wonder if anyone knows anything about it.

    The site is close to N89, about half-way between the 
villages of Chevrol and Goujon in the vineyards north of 
Pomerol and St. Emilion.  A cell tower sits a few hundred 
meters to the east-northeast.

    The tower itself appears to be 250-300 ft (80-90m) tall, 
mounted on a large insulator.  It is very much thicker than 
a normal guyed tower, suggesting an effort to expand the 
bandwidth.  The guy insulators are an unusual design, 
indicative of moderately high transmitter power.

    The tower is fed from a building with no windows 
(transmitter, presumably) using "open wire coax": a circle 
of wires perhaps 70-100cm in diameter (shield) with a single 
central wire (center conductor).  This design is typical of 
high power MF or LF feedline.  There is a stub section of 
identical open wire coax attached to the feedpoint.

    From the top of the tower, angling down to the ground at 
45°, is a length of two parallel wires separated by less 
than 30 cm with spacing insulators.  This line is NOT 
electrically connected to the top of the tower; an insulated 
section of perhaps 10m length separates the parallel line 
from the tower top.  Perhaps this is some kind of parasitic 
reflector?

    The site is fenced but has no identifying signs.  In 
addition to a standard French perimeter fence, barbed wire 
fences enclose the tower base, guys, and the anchor for that 
angled parallel line.

    I have photographs (which, of course, I can't attach to 
this email).  If someone has a convenient website to which 
the photos could be posted, that might help in resolving the 
mystery.

    You can get a good satellite view of the site and 
neighborhood from Google maps.  This long URL will be split 
into several lines, so you'll have to paste it together in 
your browser:
http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=chevrol+france&ie=UTF8
&ll=44.949143,-0.188935&spn=0.014169,0.01826&t=h&om=1

    This link will zoom in to the antenna field, where you 
can see the tower, transmitter building to the lower right 
of the tower, guy anchors, anchor for the parallel line (to 
the northeast):
http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=chevrol+france&ie=UTF8
&t=h&om=1&ll=44.950141,-0.188978&spn=0.003542,0.004565

    Thanks.

-- Eric K3NA