[TowerTalk] Automatic Tower Lowering Device

[K0DAN]

Hi Bill...

I doubt there is anything commercially made, due to liability and 
supply/demand issues, but I have contemplated this project before (and never 
took action on it).

OK, so I have an LM470 for which I built a remote control box from the tower 
to the shack (about 130', using twisted pair and relays). I don't motor it 
up/down as much as I thought I would, and more times than not I just go out 
to the tower to "be there" when changing things. I have installed a remote 
audio amp so I can listen to the tower sounds in the shack, and am thinking 
about remote CCTV/audio, which I do if I ever clear my plate of projects.

So back to the wind velocity issue....I have block diagrammed a homebrew 
anemometer which trips a logic circuit if, say, wind velocity exceed 40 mph, 
lowers tower and you hope that limit switches on tower shut things off when 
it gets nested. I have also thought about using a Davis Weather Station 
(which I own) which has serial output at the control box to trigger some 
software/logic circuit to activate tower motor upon some wind speed.

I have never done this because:
a)  too complex and too prone to unexpected events
b) never needed it that much (if I leave for vacation or in anticipation of 
bad WX I just manually lower the tower)
c) Safety:
1. What azimuth do you want the antennas pointed when the tower is lowered?
2. What happens if a hoist or coax cable snags or branch gets hooked during 
automatic lowering?
3. What happens if neighbors/children around during robotic operation?
4. Unanticipated failsafe conditions?
5. What is potential liability for damages resulting from unattended or 
unsupervised operation?

Some of these worries might be mitigated by remote voice/video over IP 
supervision, but still gets kind of complex, still needs power, backup 
power, redundancy, supervisory control. This is why I abandoned the project 
and just lower the tower when I'm away, and occasionally remote it from the 
shack.

Hope you find a concept/solution that meets your needs!

73

Dan
K0DAN

-----Original Message----- 
From: Bill Gaines
Sent: July 24, 2012 08:28 PM
To: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: [TowerTalk] Automatic Tower Lowering Device

Is there a manufactured device out there that when attached to the control 
box of my LM470 tower it will automatically lower my tower if the wind speed 
reaches a pre-set velocity?

Thank you
Bill AD8P
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