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[Tom in Bristol]

They're also clearing more trees around the old mobile home park. First you see a pine...

 

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Then you don't...

 

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Cuz it's down and gone.

 

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[Tom in Bristol]

When I mentioned that a bunch of the VZW parts aren't here I also mentioned COWs...those are Cellular On Wheels - portable temporary units that may be needed here soon. Wonder how bad my signal strength will suffer?

 

Seems that service for several carriers may soon be ready on the new tower and top project management is pushing to get the old tower out of the way, so they can go full bore taking the hill down. The target date for tower demo is now Wednesday, Aug 21. The Austin Powder folks will not schedule any shots from Aug 22nd through Aug 26th due to the NASCAR Night Race the 24th. All earlier shots in view of the freeway have required that the Virginia State Police set-up rolling road block slow-downs on the freeway and nobody wants to try that with all the Race traffic in the area.

 

B'leeve me, there'll be a whole lot of video equipment running the day the tower comes down!

[johnthehillbilly]

Yeah..... probably not a good idea to stop traffic on race weekend......not in Bristol .... some cities could handle it, not Bristol..... the tri cities almost shuts down entirely and everyone is at or on their way to BMS

"... try not... do or do not! .... there is no try ... "

[marleyinoc]

Cool! I think there is a sea level height that requires red light. Lots of rules on towers and radio stations overall.

I've been following along. I climb our tower and got some tower climbing training for insurance purposes. We have a radio station and tower at bar I work at so it seemed like a good thing for a few of us to do. (So far a mechanic, an electrician and me have taken course to make insurers happy).

I'm not an engineer and just deal with in house stuff like networking, RDS, etc. So really don't know jack about much of anything but could probably ask more if you're interested in something specific with radio.

Tower building is pretty cool. We inspect ours on every climb (usually to replace flag or bulbs) but so far the builders aced it.

[marleyinoc]

Sea level spec sounds pretty stupid now that I think about it. There is obviously a height rule. That is all.

[Tom in Bristol]

Sea level spec sounds pretty stupid now that I think about it. There is obviously a height rule. That is all.

 

Yep...see below:

 

{Note; this an imaginary "What if..." as in What if I had a Moto X}

 

"Okay, Google Now"

 

(ping)

 

"What are the rules for cell tower lights?"

 

(ping)

 

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MB, Antenna Tower Lighting and Marking Requirements

 

Any obstruction over 200' AGL must be lit by either a strobe by day or night (strobe intensity lessened, mainly by complaints of neighbors and/or sheilded from under light) if not painted aviation orange and white according to the bands indicated by FAA Part 47 advisory circulars 47 CFR §§ 17.21-17.58

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(for latest info) They can be dual lighted as well, strobe by day, red beacon by night without being painted. 

 

And since this is a guvamint document, it goes on...and on...and on...

 

<Snort!>

[Tom in Bristol]

With the help of some of Rudolf Diesel's semi-flammable fuel, the new burn hole is in operation.

 

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[hadeshorn9]

With the help of some of Rudolf Diesel's semi-flammable fuel, the new burn hole is in operation.

 

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Ok wtf are they burning? shrubbery?
Bring me a Shrubbery!

[Tom in Bristol]

Ok wtf are they burning? shrubbery?
Bring me a Shrubbery!

 

The Python quote (as I remember it) "We want a shrubbery!" but, nope thats the slash in the truck in post # 140.  :

[Tom in Bristol]

Steadily gnawing away at the shoulder of the hill next to the freeway. Austin Powder truck prepping for a shot later today on the level just below the top. A couple of cloudbursts lately have them scrambling to keep the service roads in useful shape.

 

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[Tom in Bristol]

The drills are back working the same level as the previous pic, but after a shot yesterday where they were and a shot today to the left where the bulldozer has just moved back in. The shot today covered a longer length both in distance and the time it took to finish.

 

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[Tom in Bristol]

Visited the new tower site today, probably for the last time...it was swarming with trucks from 3 different tech firms with crews both on the tower and in the shelters doing terminations and getting ready to 'sweep' with the transmitters. I'm told that the 'sweeps' are initial tests and then follow actual trials by whichever carrier gets ready first.

 

VZW parts are expected in the next couple days and, so far, no more talk of COWs being used. I've been kinda keeping a mental log of dBm signal strength readings at various places around town to evaluate how the new tower performs...WHENEVER it goes into service.

 

No further word on when/how the old tower will come down.

[rickw]

great work on this,very interesting

[Tom in Bristol]

From the other (east) side of the hill, I'm starting to lose my parking spots as they tear down the trees and begin to demo the trailer park spots. Trees are being burned in a couple places, and the drills are over on the ridge.

 

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A closer look at the drills and I see the dump truck roads up and down the hill have outlived their usefulness.

 

 

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This was yesterday...

 

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And this was today.

 

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[Tom in Bristol]

Moving a lot of rock/dirt from the ridgeline where the last several shots have been located.

 

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And I zoomed in cuz I noticed that the new tower now shows up from this angle!

 

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I'm hearing that the T-Mo gear passed the 'sweep' test today and that a truckload of VZW equipment arrived last night after the crews had gone home...to be unloaded today.

[Tom in Bristol]

Even on a Sunday they keep chewing away on the side of the hill near the freeway.

 

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And the hill is getting pretty bald after the trees are stripped away. They're re-building the service roads at a lower level with lots of crushed rock.

 

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[Tom in Bristol]

Hummmm...

 

Yesterday I noticed them clearing some trees and a couple fires on the east side of the hill where they hadn't been doing much work yet and there was more done there today before I drove over to the freeway for the last pic.

 

After I got home it nagged at me a little so I went back for another look. There hasn't been any work done on the west side below that long rock wall below the tower and I think they've been held up waiting for the new tower to come online and now here's my speculation.

 

I'm thinking they don't want to hold up work on the west side any further and that they'll be dropping the tower down along this cleared slot where they can cut it up for scrap without holding up demo of the top of the hill!

 

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[Tom in Bristol]

Welll...maybe one more trip on a quiet Sunday afternoon. Two of the three VZW racks are in this pic ready to be lifted...tomorrow?

 

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There's a whole story about this pic...might be able to share at a later date.

 

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[Tom in Bristol]

Three, count 'em, three Austin Powder trucks below the rock wall this morning. Guess I better keep my eye on their progress today.

 

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[Tom in Bristol]

It appeared that they had set charges from the left end of the rock wall all the way to the right beyond the crusher, so I zoomed back out too far and wasn't centered on the shot.

 

Oh, well...