WILD, WINDY DOWNPOUR

[tomturbomatic]

It is raining and blowing here. Walking from the subway to the building was like walking through a carwash; all that was missing was the whirling brush action. I had on a raincoat and was carrying an umbrella, but my pants looked like I was wearing Brand X in a Pampers commercial. Luckily, I have a fan at my desk so they are almost dry. BIG HINT: if you have to go out in pouring rain, put a one gallon plastic bag over each foot before putting on your shoes. Even if your shoes get wet your feetsies will stay warm and dry until your shoes dry out.

I hope no one suffers flooding or damage in this latest batch of hard rains drenching the east and northeast today and tomorrow.

 

[tolivac]

Its windy-windy-downpooring at the transmitter plant antennas wet-VSWR drifting all over the place-have to constantly retune transitters.And heard a lightening strike!Fun!!And we have important guests visiting the plant today!!!Fun and wet for them!!!No antenna tours today!!!Glad they did that yesterday.The last hour of my shift-hope all goes well and no more lightening strikes-already one antenna-I had to pull out of service becuase of arcing.So have to use an alternate one.Going to make it fun for day shift and their guests!!

 

[tomturbomatic]

Please excuse my ignorance, but was the arcing due to the rain and everything being wet or was there some sort of insulator failure?

 

[tolivac]

The problem has been found-one of the antenna dipole wires on the uppermost bay has come loose.We can use the antenna-we can't use the pattern setting that puts the damaged upper bay into use.With the adjustments were using now-the upper bay is disconnected.The antenna system is a variable slew antenna-direction and takeoff angle.A rigger has to be called in to fix the problem.We are working on the large RF switches that switch in-out the bays and switch in-out inductors that control the phasing or angle of direction.So far two switch motors have been replaced-both failed from small bees building nests in their bearing lube holes.Made the motor seize up-blowing the windings before the fueses!And one guy is rebuilding the computer systems that control this antenna system.It is 20 years old and the maker no longer builds these-plus the microprocessor control systems are no longer made-the problems we face here!The antenna cost about 2 mil to build.Was here when it was commissioned.Yes,intense rain can cause occasional arcing-and bad insulators-the insulators can go bad from severe wind storms-like hurricanes.The wind can break them.So riggers have to get on the special lift we have and replace them-same with the broken wire as above.When something that is 400Ft square and same height high-and outside things go bad.The equipment building at the base of the antenna system will need renovating or replacement-have to budget for that.We can adjust the antenna patterns from the control room in the building-the control equipment is linked by fiber optics.A 4160V 3ph feeder from the building goes to a transformer at the antenna base to give 3Ph 208V for the motors and other equipment.The 4160 line had to be replaced a few years ago.Had to change patterns by hand-driving to the base and moving switches by hand with cranks.FUN!!!And at night!!!I have pictures of the antenna from my new camera-just have to figure out how to get the pictures from the camera to the computer.

 

[cuffs054]

Tol, I would love to see some pix of your workplace stuff. (I was gonna say pix of your equipment but that left it a little too open!)

 

[wayupnorth]

It hit here early this morning with torrents of rain and wind. Flood watches and warnings are up all over the state. Extended forcast is not very promicing either with no chance of seeing the sun until maybe, next weekend if we are lucky. So much for hanging out wash this week. I wish there was a way to give these storms to the people suffering from drought and fires.

 

[whirlcool]

Ah ha! Now you are getting the kind or rain we receive down here on a regular basis!

 

[wayupnorth]

Oh ya, I know what Houston gets. My cousin lives there and lost her car in one of those instant floods.

 

[tomturbomatic]

We had flooding rain on April 29th and then again on May 15-16th. Our creek-beds are getting a thorough scouring and the soil is good and moist for uprooting weeds.

 

[whirlcool]

The thing about Houston floods is that the water comes it floods cars, houses, streets, freeways, etc. And then a couple of hours later it is totally gone, like nothing ever happened, except for all the damage left behind.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Depending on how much rain falls to the north and west of our area, it takes a few days to drain out of the mountains through the rivers that lead to the bay so, while we don't have flash flooding for days, there is high water and, especially at high tide, waterfront parts of Old Town Alexandria can suffer water rising in the streets for several days after a big storm.

When they have to let water out of two big reservoirs, downtown Laurel Maryland has flooding near the old depot and since that is a parking lot for commuter trains, people have left their cars on dry pavement in the morning and returned after work to find them in or under water. The folks at the two dams need a better way of alerting citizens before opening the flood gates.

A couple of area roads lost a lane to washing away of the land under the road in the storm of the 29th and repairs were just getting underway when this latest storm hit.

 

[tolivac]

For those folks who want to see pictures of the plant and gear I work with--Go to a website known as "Jim Hawkins Radio World"His website has LOTS of pictures of our plant-the one he shows is closed-but the equipment is just like at the site I am at now-the only one remaining.He is a "Ham" radio guy and likes to tour and take pictures of various radio station sites.There are others,too.Google "VOA Greenville NC transmitter site" and some should show up there.There are also videos of our plant on YouTube.This would do until I can transfer my pictures from my new camera to a computer where I can put them on this site.I am new at this so bear with me.I have some pictures on a laptop at home maybe I could try that.