Way off topic but an interesting day for me.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 23 Aug 2010, 22:05

Way off topic but I had an interesting day.

I am the project engineer to rebuild an AM radio station tower site that was originally built around 1940. They needed a special dispensation from the War Department to actually allow them to buy the steel to build the towers.

One of the 4 towers at this site got knocked over in a hay bailing accident last year but we just had it rebuilt and knocked down the other three towers today (On purpose).

I have seen the grim aftermath of many radio tower failures but I have never witnessed one actually coming down. These were all only 360' tall. As they hit the ground it feels like an earthquake.

There are other videos including one that was on a tripod near the base of the tower but as soon as they are edited they will be up on you tube. Search KFEQ on You Tube if you are interested - the additional videos should be up in the next couple of days.

...Lee

Post by **LamboSE5** » 25 Aug 2010, 16:40

Haha - they just crumpled over like hay stalks. Cool!

Kent T · Post by **Kent T** » 22 Sep 2010, 21:50

Lee,

Interesting, I am a broadcast engineer in real life. Take care of many stations in the group. From Athens, TN, a road warrior. Gotta maintain the rigs.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 23 Sep 2010, 20:18

Kent,

I feel your pain.

I've been in the radio engineering biz right out of engineering school (actually during engineering school where the professors made fun of me since I was dealing with tubes) since Wednesday, November 16, 1983. I had done some freelance studio work at the station my wife worked at (KBEQ) and the station was off the air so they called and I went out to the transmitter site to fix the problem (observe the flames).

I was real green and I only added to the fire when I tried to fire up the aux transmitter into the burned out Dielectric antenna switch.

The backup transmitter was an old grounded grid Sparta FM20A and it didn't really care what the load looked like.

After the fire department left I learned all about cutting 3 1/8" rigid coax for the first time and patched around the switch to get them back on the air. Morning drive was lost but I think we got back on around noon

At one point I as the main contact- either chief or contract - engineer for 23 radio stations in Kansas City at the same time.

I really hated thunderstorms and the old VRC-1000 Genters that melted my phone at night.

This job with the toppling towers is cool - we have removed 70 years of crap Including a Conelrad dual frequency transmitter and a 1940 vintage EF Johnson phasor and it will be a very clean installation.

I think this may have been the last station in the US with open wire transmission lines.

...Lee

Kent T · Post by **Kent T** » 20 Jan 2012, 10:27

Yes, indeed Lee. Those Gentners going off in the night meant many a drive. These days, I run Burks. Only one time did I ever have to delve into an old Sparta rig. They were decent if quirky on tuning and the power control ladders. Mainly run Continentals, Collins, BE and older Harris rigs and a Gates or two. The smell of burning transmission line in the morning is not to be forgotten.

Post by **fazool** » 20 Jan 2012, 10:45

So how do you topple a tower like that? I mean its not like chopping down a tree, is it? Did you just cut the guy wires and let it flop or did you pull a cable ?

How do you bring one down?

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 21 Jan 2012, 19:08

There was quite a bit of computer modeling in the engineering department of the company that we bought the new towers from but at the end of the day they used a come-along to hold guy lines in place as they pulled the pin on them. from there they slowly released them - one at a time starting at the uppermost guy level - until they went slack. At that point they just released the line and went to the next lower line. After the third guy line they had the big lean going and releasing the 4th line would bring them down.

...Lee