Entire 200 Ft commercial transmitter tower stolen.

[mmckenna]

It's going to make some noise when it hits the ground.

Well, looking at the map, I doubt anyone was around to hear it. Nestled in a cozy little spot between the sewage plant, railroad tracks and a poultry plant. I guess if I was going to steal a broadcast station, that would be a good candidate.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/33%C2%B048'54.1%22N+87%C2%B016'19.0%22W/@33.8150244,-87.2767136,16z/data=!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d33.81502!4d-87.27195?entry=ttu

 

[fxdscon]

This is the view from 101 29th St E.






The tower was clearly visible from the City of Jasper Street Dept. I would think someone would have noticed something unusual was going on. Unless they just assumed it was a legitimate operation and thought nothing of it. It appears that the only access road to the tower site (1st Ave) runs alongside their property. Notice the sign on the right side of the gate... "video surveillance".

 

[belvdr]

This is the view from 101 29th St E.

The tower was clearly visible from the City of Jasper Street Dept. I would think someone would have noticed something unusual was going on. Unless they just assumed it was a legitimate operation and thought nothing of it. It appears that the only access road to the tower site (1st Ave) runs alongside their property. Notice the sign on the right side of the gate... "video surveillance".

That's a different tower than what @mmckenna posted about. Two towers about 2000' apart.

 

[fxdscon]

That's a different tower than what @mmckenna posted about. Two towers about 2000' apart.

Yes, you are correct. My mistake.

 

[trimmerj]

Land is worth more than the station license. PPM has destroyed commercial radio.

 

[Ubbe]

At first I though it must have been a mistake being done, as it seems to be such a big operation that almost needed professional people and equipment. If a site where decommissioned and a company where hired to take down its tower and clean up the place but for some reason they where sent the wrong directions and ended up at the wrong site.

The broadcaster later realized his mistake and that it wouldn't be covered by any insurance, so he instead claimed that the tower had been stolen. But it seems unlikely as the company that took the tower down and the scrap yard that received the scrap would have suspected something if they had read that news report of the theft.

I once had my boss do a site inspection tour with the customer of the system and at one site the equipment where gone. The only thing left where a coax and the power wiring. The customer immediately reported the theft to the police and his insurance company. When my boss returned to the shop he told us about the theft and we said it was a shame as it was a brand new UPS equipment installed when we moved everything to that new site 6 months ago. Then my boss realized he had visit the old site.

/Ubbe

 

[chrismol1]

wjlx1015.com

**02/08/24 UPDATE**

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has denied our request to remain on the air on 101.5 FM. Today, we shut down our transmitter and our programming will be streamed via internet and our apps only until we can restore our 1240 AM frequency. Many have asked, “How can we help?”

We did not have insurance on this facility. We have been given estimates of $60,000+ to build back and get our station on the air. We have established a GoFundMe, located here.

Thank you for your continued support. We will build back bigger and stronger — and will be back on the air soon!!

 

[ladn]

 

[Project25_MASTR]

At first I though it must have been a mistake being done, as it seems to be such a big operation that almost needed professional people and equipment. If a site where decommissioned and a company where hired to take down its tower and clean up the place but for some reason they where sent the wrong directions and ended up at the wrong site.

The broadcaster later realized his mistake and that it wouldn't be covered by any insurance, so he instead claimed that the tower had been stolen. But it seems unlikely as the company that took the tower down and the scrap yard that received the scrap would have suspected something if they had read that news report of the theft.

I once had my boss do a site inspection tour with the customer of the system and at one site the equipment where gone. The only thing left where a coax and the power wiring. The customer immediately reported the theft to the police and his insurance company. When my boss returned to the shop he told us about the theft and we said it was a shame as it was a brand new UPS equipment installed when we moved everything to that new site 6 months ago. Then my boss realized he had visit the old site.

/Ubbe

A friend of mine called me a few years back, one of his friends caught a guy wire with a tractor implement and brought a 160 ft Rohn 45G tower down. It was no longer in use (belonged to the friend's farm) and had come down across an easement. With two sets of torches, we had the entire thing cut up into 20 ft sections and loaded on to a gooseneck with a 4 man crew in under an hour. So yes, you can drop a 200ish foot tall tower, cut it up and load it up pretty quickly if you don't care about the thing ever being usable again.

 

[lenk911]

We did not have insurance on this facility. We have been given estimates of $60,000+ to build back and get our station on the air. We have established a GoFundMe,

Its a shame they have to resort to the good charity of their fans and audience to rebuild. The fact the AM station was uninsured tells me the money maker was from the translator (i.e. listeners in the town) and the AM station (listeners in the rural area) was a loser. But they key to their license was the AM assignment and that justified the FM translator. AM station gone and so goes the translator! Too bad they cannot get a FM assignment.

The other shame is another small rural town loses a communications source. With manmade noise on AM killing the range and cellphone streaming, it is hard to fathom they can justify a rebuild any other way. Probably their local newspaper is also barely hanging-on or already gone. Sadly, such is mass-media communications in 21st century rural America.

 

[WB5UOM]

Depends on how old the tower was and what it was made of. The older am towers around here are black iron, the newer ones are across the board R25 R45 R55 etc....
I think 60k will be a lighweight tower and a used am xmtr....
might be fun to know what if anything happened to the ground radial system, and did it get tore up at the base of the tower

 

[lenk911]

what if anything happened to the ground radial system

You may have solved the puzzle. Under each AM tower, by FCC rules, are 360 copper ground radials (probably #6 or larger) extending out at least 1/4 wave (300 + feet @ 1240) from the tower(s). Hard work to harvest but if you're out of work, desperate and have time on your hands...

 

[MTS2000des]

Land is worth more than the station license. PPM has destroyed commercial radio.

I'd say streaming has (and is) killing OTA radio. That aside from corporate conglomeration. Who wants to listen to the same 20 songs over and over that are on someone else' playlist, followed by 15 stop sets of sleazy spots for fake boobs, Friday plans, and annoying voice tracked DJs when one can listen to their favorite 20-40 songs over and over minus all the puffery anywhere, anytime with "no static at all".

I say this was insurance fraud. Shoulda set everything on fire, would have left less evidence.

 

[mmckenna]

Donate to WJLX 1240 AM - Tower and equipment replacement, organized by Brett Elmore

Hi, my name is Brett Elmore, General Manager of WJLX 1240 AM. You have pro… Brett Elmore needs your support for WJLX 1240 AM - Tower and equipment replacement

www.gofundme.com

NOT, I repeat, NOT saying anyone should donate, just sharing this since it is relevant to this thread.

 

[prcguy]

Donate to WJLX 1240 AM - Tower and equipment replacement, organized by Brett Elmore

Hi, my name is Brett Elmore, General Manager of WJLX 1240 AM. You have pro… Brett Elmore needs your support for WJLX 1240 AM - Tower and equipment replacement

www.gofundme.com

NOT, I repeat, NOT saying anyone should donate, just sharing this since it is relevant to this thread.

Yes, donate instead to my 200ft tower and transmitter fund!

 

[mmckenna]

I remember reading, years ago, about an AM station that suffered a tower failure. The engineer strung up a dipole and got them back on the air. Probably violated the license antenna pattern rules, but maybe crank down the power enough and they'd be good.

 

[WB5UOM]

Been licensed since 1970

 

[Ubbe]

That picture of a tower in the article, those antennas are at a 45 degree angle in one direction and the opposite angle in the the other direction, making it a FM broadcast antenna, right?

/Ubbe

 

[lenk911]

I remember reading, years ago, about an AM station that suffered a tower failure. The engineer strung up a dipole and got them back on the air.

There were a lot of sins committed in tower construction pre 1970's that we later learned were real bad.

One was placing the master ground rod for the tower in the base's foundation. Concrete retains water molecules even when cured and a lightning hit turns them to steam. The foundation blows up!

Another was dissimilar metals between the guy grounds and the guy wires. Copper against galvanized steel caused the iron ions to be harvested to the copper. Thin guy wires and breakage.

High PH in the soil causes the guy anchor rods to lose ions, become thin and break. Big problem in the Dakota's Red River Valley.

Lastly loose guy wires causes the tower to do the dance of death even in a moderate wind storm.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

wjlx1015.com

**02/08/24 UPDATE**

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has denied our request to remain on the air on 101.5 FM. Today, we shut down our transmitter and our programming will be streamed via internet and our apps only until we can restore our 1240 AM frequency. Many have asked, “How can we help?”

We did not have insurance on this facility. We have been given estimates of $60,000+ to build back and get our station on the air. We have established a GoFundMe, located here.

Thank you for your continued support. We will build back bigger and stronger — and will be back on the air soon!!

The FCC is not buying it either.