Is it legal to run a wire over a street?
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doctordialtone
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I would contact the building department, as this is subject to local regulations AND Electrical Code.
NESC Rule 232 covers the "vertical clearances of wires, conductors, cables, and equipment above ground, roadway, rail, or water surfaces."
This will give you an idea:
Height Requirements For Over Head Powerlines
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Best to check with your own town or city's building codes, by laws, etc, rather than opinions from here. That being said, I wouldn't do it even if it was legal.... you would be opening yourself up to a whole new world of liability issues should something of yours fall and hit someone traveling on a public roadway.
I thought same thing, it was a think that crossed my brain so figured wth put it out there so for others if they get the same think as me lol
wtp
Member
a differenrt look at it.
a droppy wire gets caught on a tall truck and yanks the radios out of the house and down the road..
i am known for my happy thoughts...
maybe go with a quarterwave.
a droppy wire gets caught on a tall truck and yanks the radios out of the house and down the road..
i am known for my happy thoughts...
maybe go with a quarterwave.
bb911
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No way, even with your neighbor's OK. Don't even think about it.
GROL
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I wouldn't even entertain the thought. Besides any local restrictions, there could be liability issues of all sorts. If there are utility wires of any kind it would pass over, then definitely not. Power lines would create a hazard if your antenna wire ever fell across it. And if it fell across a telephone line or CATV line, those companies could blame you with almost anything if it fell across them, even if it didn't cause a problem.
What band is this antenna for? There are all sorts of good antenna alternatives. I have very limited space and I use an inverted V for 40 meters and 20 meters that works quite well and the apex is only 25 feet off the ground. I have elements for 40 and 20 on the same mast. I have excellent omnidirectional performance.
What band is this antenna for? There are all sorts of good antenna alternatives. I have very limited space and I use an inverted V for 40 meters and 20 meters that works quite well and the apex is only 25 feet off the ground. I have elements for 40 and 20 on the same mast. I have excellent omnidirectional performance.
Maybe you'd be able to get a highway crossing permit for it (telecom companies do)...but I'm betting the permit fees, bonds and insurance requirements for the permit would be way beyond anything you'd want to pay. Any permit applications might require a PE stamp.
Only way to know for sure is to talk to the municipality who owns the road (e.g. village, town, county, state)...and makes sure anything you get is in writing. You'd probably want to consult an attorney too.
Only way to know for sure is to talk to the municipality who owns the road (e.g. village, town, county, state)...and makes sure anything you get is in writing. You'd probably want to consult an attorney too.
The police/law enforcement in general have little to nothing to do with placement of antennas. Common sense would state that an antenna running from one property to a second property and across a public thoroughfare to reach the second property is not a well planned idea.
prcguy
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You should be able to do this legally and your local city building code people should be able to point you to the requirements. Most public roads have easements for utility wires and services and you would probably be crossing over that. Once you understand what is required you might have to make an appeal to the board that reviews this kind of thing and present your case and how it would be accomplished while meeting code. None of this should be a big deal, it just has a procedure and you just need to understand what that procedure is.
If you get it approved you would have to adhere to code and if its done to code there is little chance of anything falling down or getting snagged by a passing vehicle. Things like this are done everyday somewhere and I work with people that do these types of things. One guy I consult for needed a huge power pole moved on his property and the local power company was not moving very fast. The pole had problems and was tagged for replacement and he had done construction on his property making use of the old pole location. This was a huge pole with very high voltage stuff on top.
My friend finally got fed up with the new pole laying on his property so he dug the new hole with his own heavy equipment and got a huge off road fork lift with pole grabbing attachment and set the new pole in per code. Then he notified the power company of what he had done and they finally got off their a$$ and transferred all the wiring and services to the new pole set by the home owner.
There is usually a path to get most anything done that you can come up with.
If you get it approved you would have to adhere to code and if its done to code there is little chance of anything falling down or getting snagged by a passing vehicle. Things like this are done everyday somewhere and I work with people that do these types of things. One guy I consult for needed a huge power pole moved on his property and the local power company was not moving very fast. The pole had problems and was tagged for replacement and he had done construction on his property making use of the old pole location. This was a huge pole with very high voltage stuff on top.
My friend finally got fed up with the new pole laying on his property so he dug the new hole with his own heavy equipment and got a huge off road fork lift with pole grabbing attachment and set the new pole in per code. Then he notified the power company of what he had done and they finally got off their a$$ and transferred all the wiring and services to the new pole set by the home owner.
There is usually a path to get most anything done that you can come up with.
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True, but the costs of the survey, the permitting, the temporary road closure, and the contractor almost certainly needed to meet code is likely to cost more than the average ham can pay for.
Installing a power pole on one's property is less complex and less costly than involving several properties, crossing easements and ROWs, etc. It is likely to cost far more than switching to 10 meters and waiting for the band to open up.
Installing a power pole on one's property is less complex and less costly than involving several properties, crossing easements and ROWs, etc. It is likely to cost far more than switching to 10 meters and waiting for the band to open up.
GROL
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If done to code, little chance of falling down? Utility lines fall down frequently even done to code. Ice, wind, tree limbs falling across them.
The main issue is liability, and I don't think homeowners policy would cover it.
There are many alternatives for limited space. He has a 40 foot tower. An inverted V, verticle with elevated counterpoise at the base, end fed long wire come to mind.
If you have a 40' tower, run a beam antenna. Why in the world are you fooling around with wires and dipoles, and crossing city streets?
You all give good views.
I actually enjoy asking strange questions like this because it makes one think outside the box and give your opinion.
I currently have a EFHW that runs slope from my tower down to corner of my garage and wraps about 1/2 around the garage exterior.
I had asked my neighbor lady about stringing it to her tree in the back yard as it would have been perfect height, nothing to fall on but she is pretty proud of her yard and politely declined. Figured it was worth a shot tho.
I actually enjoy asking strange questions like this because it makes one think outside the box and give your opinion.
I currently have a EFHW that runs slope from my tower down to corner of my garage and wraps about 1/2 around the garage exterior.
I had asked my neighbor lady about stringing it to her tree in the back yard as it would have been perfect height, nothing to fall on but she is pretty proud of her yard and politely declined. Figured it was worth a shot tho.
its a bad idea all the way around, you will be better off staying within the property lines of your property that way if something would happen you wouldnt have opened a can of worms that you may regret.
Pretty much my thoughts to.
I'm a constant thinker tho and thought (well the municipality needs to accommodate us as best they can (paraphrasing) I thought 🤔 I wonder if it would include that lol
If you run a dipole from your tower to a neighbor's tree... what happens if the antenna is struck by lightning? Your tower may have suitable grounding and lightning protection, but what about your neighbor's tree and property when the path of least resistance goes into the trunk of that tree?
Tree fire... downed tree... perhaps exposures and a house fire... you'll get blamed and may well be found liable by a civil jury.
Tree fire... downed tree... perhaps exposures and a house fire... you'll get blamed and may well be found liable by a civil jury.
Does the tree overhang your property? If so, in most areas, those parts are yours. There could be problems if something goes wrong, as a few have mentioned.
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