[TowerTalk] Antenna Arcs to Gnd

[PAULA FOX]

I also saw a fire start by an antenna arcing to wood, but not a tree. While in the USAF stationed at Goose Bay, Labrador, I made friends with a VO2 who worked for the Canadian version of the FCC (DOT, at that time). Amongst other neat stuff, they ran a TTY link to Frobisher Bay on some VLF freq which escapes me. The TX ran 10KW to open wire feeders to a antenna coupling circuit (large inductors / capacitor) housed in a small wooden box at the base of a rhombic pole. A nail had worked its way out of the floor of the box, just close enough to a high-voltage point on one of the matching components and drew an arc. The nail obviously got hot enough to set the wood alight. After a while, the station manager noticed the TX was not happy and checked the feed lines to see the tuning house on fire.

Barry - W1HFN

ex VO2HA op