rfradioconsult
Member
National Geographic channel is airing a show spotlighting a tower crew working on a 2000' tower on Wednesday evening at 10 pm EST, FYI.
Heads up, another antenna show
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cgriggs
Member
That is awesome. I bet they are wall-to-wall and treetop tall with that antenna.
that thing is huge!!! didn't know there was self supporting towers that big.
i dont' have cable or sat since the divorce. could someone record it and put it on sharethefiles.com so i can download it?
i dont' have cable or sat since the divorce. could someone record it and put it on sharethefiles.com so i can download it?
cgriggs
Member
Just looking at the pics reminds me I get the Willys over heights. I wouldn't say I'm afraid of heights but maybe cautious is a better word.
No problem with the pics guys. I have some more, but they are somewhere on the computer.
The base of the tower is about 100 feet x 100 feet. Just massive. Takes me about 15 minutes to get up there. It used to be an old microwave TV site, so it had about 25 microwave links, RCMP (police) repeaters, public service repeaters...ect....
Now, it is only used as a communication tower, all of our stuff is on the very peak of the tower.
Ahh heck, here are some more pics:
waveguide air dehydrator system
Funky antenna
VHF Comm antenna
Old microwave link base
Look at the grounds! Copper was not expensive those days!
Tube amps, note the frequency!
Old waveguide hanging all over the shelter
Just one of about 20 racks of microwave tube xmit/rcv racks!
Enjoy!
The base of the tower is about 100 feet x 100 feet. Just massive. Takes me about 15 minutes to get up there. It used to be an old microwave TV site, so it had about 25 microwave links, RCMP (police) repeaters, public service repeaters...ect....
Now, it is only used as a communication tower, all of our stuff is on the very peak of the tower.
Ahh heck, here are some more pics:
waveguide air dehydrator system
Funky antenna
VHF Comm antenna
Old microwave link base
Look at the grounds! Copper was not expensive those days!
Tube amps, note the frequency!
Old waveguide hanging all over the shelter
Just one of about 20 racks of microwave tube xmit/rcv racks!
Enjoy!
the funky antenna looks like a corner reflector but the antennas are on the backside.
what's a microwave TV tower for? what work you do on it? that's so amazing. the scenery goes good with the tower too.
Whats the first antenna listed? are those dipole arrays Sinclair? they must be heavy with those long support arms.
and where is this at?
what's a microwave TV tower for? what work you do on it? that's so amazing. the scenery goes good with the tower too.
Whats the first antenna listed? are those dipole arrays Sinclair? they must be heavy with those long support arms.
and where is this at?
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Ah! That's an old AT&T site. I recognize the equipment bays. Racks and racks of TD-2 radios. It was amazing what they did with those things. Those microwave radios were designed in the 50's, used tubes, and carried about 600 voice channels per radio. By the time they were retired in the early 90's, they had been upgraded several times to all solid state and something like 3600 channels per radio. Not bad for 40 year old pieces of equipment!
Those places were a work of art.
Nice pics... thanks for sharing.
Those places were a work of art.
Nice pics... thanks for sharing.
That's to put a notch in the antenna pattern to protect another system.
That appears to be part of the AT&T TD-2 system, which carried long distance telephone AND network television broadcasts for all the big TV networks bqack in the 50's, 60's, and 70's before satellites. Remember watching shows live from across the country? That's how they were carried.
Look up AT&T and TD-2 on google for some fascinating history.
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searching for TD-2 on wikipedia nothing, and yahoo search, all kinds of TD-2's but none what we're talking about.
what about this link http://www.porticus.org/bell/longlines.html
That's why I suggested Google.
search for: AT&T TD-2
Just like that. The porticus.org site is one that will come up, but there are more.
scannerbum
Member
400 ft...
Now thats a deer stand!!!
Now thats a deer stand!!!
You're welcome guys. It is an old "aliant" or "NBTel" site. It is located in Clarendon, New Brunswick, in Canada. I took the pictures about 3 months ago, but forgot to post them here. I knew you guys would probably freak over them.
All the old equipment in there looks for the most part, operational. Some stuff as been taken out, by who knows who, but most of it is still there, including the old tube tester, racks and racks of old tubes, all the old landline interconnect blocks, ect...
I work for Canada's air navigation service provider, and we have an RCO and PAL there. Basically just a bunch of VHF and UHF transmitters and receivers, tuned cavities, and antenna's. There are a total of 6 frequencies all multicoupled with cavities on 2 antenna's.
The antenna's are for the most part, Sinclair, although we use TACO (military stuff), dual stack VHF/UHF combination antennas.
Cheers!
All the old equipment in there looks for the most part, operational. Some stuff as been taken out, by who knows who, but most of it is still there, including the old tube tester, racks and racks of old tubes, all the old landline interconnect blocks, ect...
I work for Canada's air navigation service provider, and we have an RCO and PAL there. Basically just a bunch of VHF and UHF transmitters and receivers, tuned cavities, and antenna's. There are a total of 6 frequencies all multicoupled with cavities on 2 antenna's.
The antenna's are for the most part, Sinclair, although we use TACO (military stuff), dual stack VHF/UHF combination antennas.
Cheers!
Since it can take hours to climb a particularly tall tower I've always wondered how workers up there all day deal with "personals". Do they carry specialized equipment or maybe give a loud LOOK OUT BELOW sort of yell? Things can get a bit complicated in winter due to icing conditions... Just wondering...
On a more serious note that 3 ring cycloid antenna is quite similar to the old Cushcraft Saturn Six 6M mobile antenna. Too bad they were discontinued years ago, today's Squalos just can't compare by a long shot. Then there's that odd looking "corner reflector" with the active elements on the outside. Not a corner reflector at all, the V shaped cage places a deep null in the pattern on that side of the antenna to protect a co channel system from interference.
On a more serious note that 3 ring cycloid antenna is quite similar to the old Cushcraft Saturn Six 6M mobile antenna. Too bad they were discontinued years ago, today's Squalos just can't compare by a long shot. Then there's that odd looking "corner reflector" with the active elements on the outside. Not a corner reflector at all, the V shaped cage places a deep null in the pattern on that side of the antenna to protect a co channel system from interference.
commscanaus
Member
Beautiful photo's!!
Always like to see different installations.
Thanks for sharing!
Regards, Commscanaus
Always like to see different installations.
Thanks for sharing!
Regards, Commscanaus
Smerri
Member
Do you happen to know the title of the program so I can search for it on my cable box?
DanHenry
Member
Show = World's Toughest Fixes. Airs again Sunday.
Show = World's Toughest Fixes: 2,000 Foot Tower
Channel = National Geographic Channel
It airs next on Sunday, 30 NOV at 5 PM (CST)
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/worlds-toughest-fixes/3564/Overview
-Dan
Show = World's Toughest Fixes: 2,000 Foot Tower
Channel = National Geographic Channel
It airs next on Sunday, 30 NOV at 5 PM (CST)
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/worlds-toughest-fixes/3564/Overview
-Dan
It's something no one answers half the questions we ask in the forum even though many here should have the answers.
I'd hate to be up there and have a blood sugar attack. i'd be too weak and shaky to get back down, or at least safely.
zzdiesel
Member
I watched the show Wednesday night. I'll bet those guys have to regular physicals and be near perfect as it gets. They can't put enough money up there for me to try to get up there.
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