[BC] Re:New Tower for WSKY-TV, Norfolk area, fell

[KC4QLP@aol.com]

r j carpenter wrote:
>The FCC claims that WSKY-TV NTSC has been silent for a number of months.
>The newspaper story linked by someone says the tower is being "moved"
>from the old site near Nags Head. Maybe they really did take down the
>tower and were trying to put it up at the new location. It also says the
>station is still "broadcasting" on cable and DirectTV.  Is this a case 
>of an FCC-licensed TV station which is really just a cable/SatTV channel 
>- no operating transmitter for a number of months? Curious.

I think, but am not certain, that WSKY "flash-cut" (under STA) to DTV on 
channel 4 a few months back from the old tower near Nags Head.

As an analog station on channel 4, WSKY had tight spacing to WTKR on 
analog 3 in Norfolk, so Nags Head was as close as it could get to 
Norfolk. As a DTV on 4, it has far less of a spacing restriction, hence 
the new tower just south of the NC/VA line. The station's always relied 
on cable and satellite to reach most of its audience, in any case.



The old analog site for WSKY TV 4 is still standing as it is home to WCXL- 
104.1 (COL Kill Devil Hills NC) , a TX location for NWS Wakefield Va among 
several other two way operations.

The new tower site which is located one mile south of the Va/NC border is 
suppose to be 1036' tall when completed.....and the cause of the failure of this 
tower, which was at the 760 some foot level when it collapsed, was the result 
of a guy anchor that just could not hold up this tower in 40 mph wind gust. 

I think someone in planning the site, may have under estimated exactly how 
swampy the ground is in that location....after all, it is only farm land that 
was once long time ago, part of the Great Dismal Swamp!

  Bob Carter - KC4QLP
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Mid-Atlantic-Engineering-Services of Utica NY / Elizabeth City NC
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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LPAM






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