[TowerTalk] Fall Zones

[Bob Shohet, KQ2M]

Yes indeed Jim, when the trees come down the local circuit usually goes down too.  Not always, but most of the time, introducing yet another potential failure point to the anemometer/automatic winch idea unless he had a reliable automatic generator wired into the main breaker.  Those are very expensive and infrequently used – and they are not 100% reliable.   If you have a crankup, unless you like “living on the edge” it’s probably best to keep it fully nested until/unless you decide to use it.

73

Bob  KQ2M


From: jimlux 
Sent: Tuesday, July 09, 2019 11:03 AM
To: towertalk at contesting.com 
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Fall Zones

On 7/9/19 7:39 AM, Bob Shohet, KQ2M wrote:
> I don’t know how long is required to crank down at 89’ crank-up at full extension but I would suspect that it is at least 90 seconds.
> 
> At this qth, when a Tornado or macroburst/microburst winds are approaching, I get about 30 seconds warning from the oncoming “roar” of wind crashing through the trees.  The noise is loud, distinct and unmistakable.  If at that exact moment I started to crankdown an 89’ tower, I doubt that it would have been lowered enough by the time the winds arrived to make it the rest of the way safely.  If it took me a minute or two to get to the station to lower the tower, I’m sure that it would be already too late.  That’s probably what happened with the guy with the tall tower, anemometer and winch.
> 
> The other issue with such violent winds is that they are usually hurling debris as they come in.  All it would take is one solid branch or piece of something wedging into the tower at a strategic spot to stop the winch dead in its tracks.  Game over for the tower.  BTW, this is one reason why Tornados are so dangerous – often significant damage is caused to objects  by debris picked up and hurled somewhere else outside of the funnel.
> 
> 


not to mention power failures..