[TowerTalk] Phillistran

[W0MU Mike Fatchett]

Sorry to hear of your loss.  I am surprised that an Engine crew would 
have been in the area with temps so hot.  Maybe they got  in right after 
the flame front?


Having steel at the bottom may also discourage vandalism.  Phillystran 
is really easy to cut through with a knife.  As N2IC said it wouldn't 
have mattered with the temperatures of the fire.

Was the area around the tower mowed and cleared of heavy fuels?      How 
close were the trees and other heavy fuel loads to the tower and 
outbuildings.   More curious from a Firefighting standpoint than 
anything.  The books are not always right!
*
At what temperatures do forest fires burn?

*An average surface fire on the forest floor might have flames reaching 
1 meter in height and can reach temperatures of 800°C (1,472° F) or 
more. Under extreme conditions a fire can give off 10,000 kilowatts or 
more per meter of fire front. This would mean flame heights of 50 meters 
or more and flame temperatures exceeding 1200°C (2,192° F).

If you live in an area that could see wildfire check out Firewise.org 
for information on how to properly make your home defensible for 
wildfire.  Get rid of wood piles next to your house, remove the pine 
duff or straw and other fuels from around your house and gutters.  Clean 
your gutters regularly.  Be aware if you live on a hill that there may 
be what we a call a chimney that will help fuel the fire.  Fires love to 
burn up hills.   In some cases, you can't do enough.  Mother nature does 
what she wants.

Good luck on the rebuild!

Mike W0MU

On 5/25/2014 12:56 AM, Chuck Smallhouse wrote:
> A story for those of you using Phillistran cable for guying a tower.
>
> I was talking to a ham that lives in far N. CA, in area that is 
> subject to wildfires.  A couple of years ago the area had a bad 
> wildfire that moved in the direction of his QTH, in a somewhat rural 
> area.  Even though the area around his home was quite well cleared, 
> they couldn't save his workshop where most of his test equipment and 
> ham equipment was located.
>
> When he returned after a mandatory evacuation and surveyed the damage 
> , he found that not only was his ham shack destroyed, but also his 
> guyed tower had fallen over.   It turned out that he had guyed it 
> using Phillistrand and that the fire had burned the guys through and 
> which resulted in the catastrophic demise of his tower and beams.
>
> I guess that the lesson to be learned is, to at least have the bottom 
> sections of your  guys be of steel cable and not any type of flammable 
> material, especially if you live in a wildfire prone area.
>
> Chuck,  W7CS, with no Phillistrand guys .
>
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