[TowerTalk] Massive 330' (40+ton) 160-80 array taken down by storm

[RLVZ at aol.com]

This structure was very heavy-duty and appears to have been very well  made.
It's sad and surprising to me that a 78 mph wind brought it down.
 
73,
Dick- K9OM
 
 
RADIO ARCALA LANDSCAPE IS ONE SHORT (Press Release dated December  6th).
Jarmo, OH2BN, reports: "While driving to the Arctic region north of  the
city of Oulu at 65degrees North, you will now find the wintry  landscape
more naked than before. Something is missing from the landscape, a  reflec-
tion of the challenges facing the stormy and icy North. Sorrow  has
descended on the population of the village of Arkala.
It was  the recent storm Oskari creating gusts of up to 68 knots (78MPH)
that not  only knocked down the massive 330ft (100m) 40+ ton 160/80M array
but also  left 200,000 homes in Finland without electricity. The mammoth
structure  collapsed peacefully, not hitting any of the other six towers,
not hurting  people or damaging buildings.
As professional engineering efforts had  up to now ensured the survival
of this 5-year old structure, inspectors are  busy trying to evaluate the
cause of the failure. It is suspected that  automation designed to enable
the array to find its most comfortable position  in high winds somehow
locked up and caused the structure to corkscrew.  Consequently the giant
crumbled down on its on base just like the WTC  building in those other
sad years.
But life goes on at Radio Arcala  at OH8X and you may soon hear Santa
Claus from the North of Finland bringing  you the joy of Christmas in the
form of OF9X, beaming over the North Pole on  20 meters and capitalizing
on the famous Polar Path during the Holiday  Season.
Thank you for your interest in Radio Arcala and many of its  unforgettable
endeavors. In summary, we would like to share with you this  short poem
and these consoling words of wisdom from the late Professor Hugh  Cassidy,
WA6AUD: 'The grief we feel we cannot tell. A sad day it was as our  tower
fell.'" A picture is available in the HTML format version of the OPDX  at:
http://www.papays.com/BoyResting2.jpg
Also, visit the Radio Arcala Web  page for possible updates and pictures
of the tower before it fell  at:   http://www.radioarcala.com