[BC] LED obstruction lights

[Mike McCarthy]

Warren,

You are 100% accurate. I likely would have done the same thing under the
same circumstances given the power. The cost to modify can't be recouped
in the power savings if you're constantly fixing it. For your tower, one
beacon and 6 levels of side lights is not too far off the power needed for
a conventional strobe system anyway.

That said, the strobe or LED controller could be placed close to the
top... But then maintenance is a PIA if anything should go wrong.

MM

> Mike,
>
> When I rebuilt the lighting conduit runs on the 70 yr old WLS tower I
> looked long and hard at options.  After pricing and all consideration I
> stayed with incandescent lamps.  Need to inspect tower once a year and
> change lamps.  When you are pulling 100 kva from the utility a few kw more
> is not significant.  Big loss is Austin ring coupling transformer.  Did
> add step-start on light circuit and did add photo cell for night off.  For
> the first 60 years of life the tower lights were on 24x7.  With step-start
> and annual re-lamp no outages to report in a 10 year period.  Its not the
> power bill, or fixture cost that was an issue.  Its tower down time and
> tower climbing labor that was an issue.
>
> Warren Shulz
> WLS CGO
>
> ________________________________
>
>  on behalf of Mike McCarthy
>
> The problem with any of these systems (strobe or LED) is generally not the
> system itself without external influence...such as AM towers circulating
> currents.  Even FM towers if the cable runs through a LONG multi-bay
> array.
>