[BC] Transmitter Safety

[Chuck Lakaytis]

Imagine this:

Temperature -40 degrees F.
Wind 40 knots
relative humidity 11 percent.
blowing very dry snow

That is a typical day at KBRW-AM, Barrow, Alaska in the winter.

The 400 foot stick could hold a huge charge if the static drain choke 
was not attached to the tower as happened one time when we did 
maintenance on the ATU.  I told the GM who was helping to be sure and 
attach my truck jumper cables to the tower feed and the ground ring.  He 
forgot and when he reached out to the tower to reattach the ATU 
feed------he got knocked on his ***. 

Cowboy wrote:
> On Monday 28 April 2008 10:51 pm, WBRadiolists at aol.com wrote:
>   
>>  In a message dated 04/28/2008 7:57:34 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
>>  kzerocx at rap.midco.net writes:
>>     
>
>   
>>  >  I have seen some mean static buildup during wind storms and snow storms,
>>  >  too.
>>  
>>  Sounds like the static drain chokes in the ATU(s) were open.
>>     
>
>  Not necessarily !
>  Wind can build some vicious charges *very* quickly.
>
>  Many tower-convicts believe the snaps and shocks they subject
>  themselves to are the result of another near-by station when, in fact,
>  it's the wind.
>  Doesn't take much of a breeze to throw fire.
>  Properly installed static drains will take care of most of this, but not
>  necessarily all of it. Not enough for *me* to bet my life.
>
>   

-- 
Chuck Lakaytis
Director of Engineering
Alaska Public Broadcasting, Inc.
135 Cordova Street
Anchorage, Ak 99501
office   907-277-6300
fax      907-277-6350
cell     907-301-4339