Atmospheric Icing on Communication Masts in New England,
Abstract
Rime icing and freezing precipitation are of concern to the radio and television broadcasting industry. This report contains the results of a study seeking to document the severity and extent of transmitter tower icing and related problems in the northeastern United States. Information was obtained via mail questionnaire and telephone interviews with 85 station owners and engineers concerning 118 different stations. Results show that television and FM broadcasters are seriously impacted by tower icing; however, AM operators are usually not affected by expected New England icing levels. Combined annual costs for icing protection and icing-related repairs averaged $121, $402 and $3066 for AM, FM and TV stations respectively. None of the AM stations polled employ any icing protection in the three northern states averaged 80%, indicating a significant concern for icing in that region. In contrast, the percentage of FM stations with icing protection was 63.5% for the southern New England states. The usage of guyed versus non-guyed towers was a poor indicator of icing costs. However, the factors of increasing mast height and mast top elevation are significant to increasing costs.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1986
- Accession Number
- ADA178347
Entities
People
- Nathan D. Mulherin
Organizations
- Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory