Tower design specifications are found in TIA/EIA-222F. Towers constructed and managed to 222F should not fail under predictable conditions (hurricanes excepted, I imagine). Unfortunately, many Cell and Communications tower vendors and customers bypass such requirements as a means of cost control on small towers. -----Original Message----- From: opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of John Willkie Sent: Monday, September 26, 2005 10:07 AM To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [opendtv] Re: Louisiana governor blasts faulty wireless networks Towers properly designed in hurricane territory are intended to withstand 225 mile hour sustained winds. Or better. How much wind gusts the tower will withstand is beyond the 225. Tornadoes, by the way, are extremely dangerous for towers, largely because the winds don't come in a single direction (if the tower is near the vortex). It's virtually impossible to erect a tower that can withstand the forces of a tornado in close proximity (like around the tower.) Hurricanes are relatively easy to plan against, tower-wise. However, I always worry when there's talk about a hurricane late in the season affecting New England. Few towers up that way are designed to withstand hurricane damage -- even without ice accumulation. There hasn't been a significant hurricane in New England since radio broadcasting began. John Willkie P.S. I notice how you talk about thieves and insurance companies. Isn't this redundant? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways: - Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at FreeLists.org - By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line.