Re: [Repeater-Builder] Site Generator - First 09 War Story
skipp025 wrote: > Jan. 2009 Site Generator - War Story > > Well... the first train wreck of 09 hit early in the calendar > year. Peak gust winds were over 89 MPH at one site yesterday, and over 100 MPH at another, with sustained winds very close to the gust speeds... but no problems reported so far other than power bumps. :-) Winter in the Rockies... Nate WY0X
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Site Generator - First 09 War Story
A lot of places customer is responsible for underground the entire way. Chuck WB2EDV - Original Message - From: Jim Brown To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, January 08, 2009 12:35 PM Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Site Generator - First 09 War Story I have a buddy who lives in Maine and moved into a new house a couple of years ago. He lost power to the house back in the middle of the summer last year and determined that the problem was somewhere between his house and the power pole. He started digging up the line and got all the way to the middle of the street where he found the dirt he was digging up was still warm. (power had been off several hours by that time) The power junction in the middle of the street was where the fault was found. In his case he found that he was responsible for all the circuit all the way back to the distribution pole and had to bite the bullet and pay for a new line installation. I know that in my case in North Texas, the power company is responsible for the line all the way to my meter box, but in his case, this was not so. 73 - Jim W5ZIT
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Site Generator - First 09 War Story
I have a buddy who lives in Maine and moved into a new house a couple of years ago. He lost power to the house back in the middle of the summer last year and determined that the problem was somewhere between his house and the power pole. He started digging up the line and got all the way to the middle of the street where he found the dirt he was digging up was still warm. (power had been off several hours by that time) The power junction in the middle of the street was where the fault was found. In his case he found that he was responsible for all the circuit all the way back to the distribution pole and had to bite the bullet and pay for a new line installation. I know that in my case in North Texas, the power company is responsible for the line all the way to my meter box, but in his case, this was not so. 73 - Jim W5ZIT --- On Thu, 1/8/09, DCFluX wrote: From: DCFluX Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Site Generator - First 09 War Story To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Date: Thursday, January 8, 2009, 11:08 AM I'll see your genset woes and raise you 2 breaks in a sites power line. This is at KZKE-FM. In 1975 some idiot buried at least 4640 feet (measured with a GPS) of 00 gage aluminum. I should also mention that this is spliced together power pole drop line and was not meant to be buried. When the ground gets wet the weight shifts and rocks skin insulation off the line. The result is what can only be considered an electrical leak. Electricity conducts literally to ground. The result is the aluminum wire reverts back to alumina, a fine white powder based on bauxite that is a ceramic. The current conditions are text book classic for frozen tundra, But things have improved. Last week it was ankle deep snow in most places and knee deep in some. Now it is just mud. Mud, mud, sticky mud, mud in the water, do you understand that? I even found mud in sealed containers there was so much of it. We spent all day yesterday digging holes and still didn't find the break, and there are 2 different breaks by my reckoning. Station has been without power since Christmas. Pretty much my weekend is going to be shot. Planning on renting a Bobcat with a hoe and tracks. The ground is still too wet to efficiently dig with a shovel. __,___
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Site Generator - First 09 War Story
I'll see your genset woes and raise you 2 breaks in a sites power line. This is at KZKE-FM. In 1975 some idiot buried at least 4640 feet (measured with a GPS) of 00 gage aluminum. I should also mention that this is spliced together power pole drop line and was not meant to be buried. When the ground gets wet the weight shifts and rocks skin insulation off the line. The result is what can only be considered an electrical leak. Electricity conducts literally to ground. The result is the aluminum wire reverts back to alumina, a fine white powder based on bauxite that is a ceramic. The current conditions are text book classic for frozen tundra, But things have improved. Last week it was ankle deep snow in most places and knee deep in some. Now it is just mud. Mud, mud, sticky mud, mud in the water, do you understand that? I even found mud in sealed containers there was so much of it. We spent all day yesterday digging holes and still didn't find the break, and there are 2 different breaks by my reckoning. Station has been without power since Christmas. Pretty much my weekend is going to be shot. Planning on renting a Bobcat with a hoe and tracks. The ground is still too wet to efficiently dig with a shovel.
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Site Generator - First 09 War Story
I was waiting for you to mention the inevitable phone message waiting for you 23 hours later that tells you about the repeat/disable switch you forgot to throw as you walked out the door... What brand genset chewed up its gear? Bob M. == --- On Wed, 1/7/09, skipp025 wrote: > From: skipp025 > Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Site Generator - First 09 War Story > To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com > Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2009, 7:05 PM > Jan. 2009 Site Generator - War Story > > Well... the first train wreck of 09 hit early in the > calendar > year. > > A critical care customer reports a serious problem... off > we go > to the super remote solar & propane radio site. We > arrive to find > everything looking just peachy... but since it's a 5 > hour drive > we figure to check every detail and do regular maintenance > anyway. > > Move around some cable to find a one repeater cuts in and > out... > oh my god, the feed line is *&^#$%@ LMR-400 from the > original site > owner. Out it goes and everything quiets down, life is good > once > again. Or so we thought... > > Packed up ready to leave... let's do one last generator > test. > Switch on to hear a really bad sounding metal on metal > grinding > noise... quick switched off. > > Let me give the short version... > > Genset (generator engine) starter removed to see the most > of the > flywheel ring gear missing. The grinding noise was the > starter > chipping teeth off the flywheel ring gear. Bad, very, very > bad... > > Dark clouds form in my head while I/we try to figure out > how to > fix this remote mountain site cluster #...@%&. > > We resign ourselves to at least get the major pull-down > part of > the repair started, then think about how to allocate > resources > and dive into pulling the genset apart. > > Much to our surprise... we properly unbolted 10,000 items > to > end up with the flywheel in our hands 3 hours later. Down > the > mountain to the nearest, largest nearby town where we > quickly > relearn how nothing happens or moves fast in Hooterville. > So I > ask and find a local full-service machine shop and off we > go. > > The appended version is the machine shop did a fix to the > ring > gear and repressed it on the flywheel while we ate a late > lunch. > I had a RB sandwich with fries... and Ice Tea of course. > Picked up the beast (repaired flywheel) and off we went > back > to the site... > > Another 2 hours or so to reinstall the flywheel and restore > the > unit. Big smile as I hit the switch to hear the engine > cleanly > roar to life every time. > > Down the mountain we go... dirty, mangy and might unclean > but > no longer wanted men (sorry to those of you who get the > AC/DC > reference). Forget the decafe coffee, stocked up with 20oz > French > Roast (light cream), snacks, a recently renewed XM-Radio > subscription and start the long drive home. Walked back in > the > shop door some 23 hours after we left... > > So, how was your day? > > cheers, > skipp > > skipp025 at yahoo.com > www.radiowrench.com
