Last night a tornado warning was issued for the St. Louis, Missouri, area with a very intense squall line moving at 70mph from west to east. During serious weather KDX online radio always closes down to protect equipment from damage. I settled in the basement with flashlights, radio and snacks.
The only station in this otherwise large metro area which had live storm coverage was 50kW KMOX, all other stations were running canned programming. Listeners called in from points in the storm and with reports of power lines and trees down. Then, in a burst the squall passed our location in unusually quick fashion. Half the neighborhood lost power but our building, except for a succession of brown-outs, kept power.
When the storm crossed the Mississippi and got into Illinois it constantly put KMOX off the air, and they recovered right away, except for one extended outage.
Although quick, the storm left a series of power poles and their transformers blocking a main road one block away.
The radio personnel who followed the storm were local staff and the EAS was not employed.
absolutely incredible. i was
absolutely incredible.
i was posting about this last night, heard it on the radio here in Baltimore that you all were having trouble out there.
we are having mostly rain today, although I did outrun a tornado crossing the Chesapeake bay bridge one lovely afternoon in the summer.
Did a twister touch down where you are?
Hope all your equipment is ok!
Geoff
The Aftermath
That’s a funny term, “aftermath.” It sounds like something you do following mathematics.
Following the very dramatic but abrupt storm, leaving 40,000 without power and report of a chimney blown off, the temperature plummeted from 65 to 37-Farenheit, and everyone fell asleep.
In the chilly morning the radio, being announced by what sounded like a munchkin dwarf, half-male, half-female, which I attribute to solar exposure, no, no, no… if I’m silly here you won’t believe the rest of the report. It’s just that I wonder why they no longer hire people with acceptable radio voices. Is that a prejudice on my part? Oh, but the munchkin said “There were 3 definite sightings of funnels which may not have touched down.
Yet, something ripped up a lot of power lines, poles, transformers and trees, willy nilly, at random, here and there. No big groove cut through any neighborhoods.
lol, i enjoyed your report!
lol, i enjoyed your report! much better than what was on kmox probably
i don’t know how some people get into the business with horrible voices that lower ratings
usually these voices are highly pitched annoying sounding ones that blast into one’s brain as if the signal and audio isn’t compressed and boosted enough!
geoff
The Crow and Storms
Boy have I had some experiences with radio and storms
In fact it was a lightening strike that moved me to FM!
The lightening killed the poor little SSTran (though I did get it fixed)
a few days later I bought the C Crane and the rest is history…
For a while I would shut down during storms
then I decided, eff that, I like the storms.
Now that I have a UPS, The Crow will never shut off for a storm again.
BRING IT ON!!!!!!!
Good Example
You know, Crow, you set a good example. How can we serve our public if we run and hide?
The entire question of what to do in a storm is now under study.
Yes, a UPS would be vital.
If KMOX had shut down for safety there would have been no reports at all.
Staying on in a storm has an edge of high risk gambling. We could place bets. That would probably be illegal. The first part 15 station arrested for gambling.
Valid point
Uhuh. What was my point in the EAS thread??????
Hmm……even the big boys and their toys can be wiped out by some wind and sprinkles.
Part 15 to the rescue!!! :p
RFB
I’m a tad confused again
I’m a tad confused again (surprising huh?). The UPS is vital during a storm why? – because it protects the transmitter from lightning damage? Does it do that?
I thought the transmitter succumbed to a buildup of the lighting static originating from the outside.. or something.. like.. that..
Lightning strikes….twice?
The UPS is vital during a storm why? – because it protects the transmitter from lightning damage? Does it do that?
No. All the UPS will do, even the ones sporting surge protection, is to maintain power to whatever is plugged into it. Those with surge protection clamp the voltage with MOV’s that sacrifice themselves by basically short circuiting when a voltage potential of around 300 volts is shoved on the line..thus tripping breakers or blowing fuses.
But here is the thing…….even though the power went out…your still physically tied to that grid, which is still sticking up in the air..which is still subject to being hit, power on them or not.
Your best protection is to totally disconnect…ie unplug from the power AND your cable AND your land line AND any coax going outside to an antenna, on a pole or on the ground. (static charge) This is why when you disconnect coax cables, short the center conductor to the ground of the connector.
RFB
That’s what I (vaguely)
That’s what I (vaguely) thought .. Crows post is what made me ask the question.
I really hate the idea of shutting down for storms though.. it seems it would be a very likely time that people make it a point to tune in.
But not doing so may have been what damaged my last transmitter.
Too bad there is not a safe alternative.
wireless baby
With my transmission antennas inside and internet delivered wirelessly, My equipment doesn’t have to worry about a thing.
as I said BRING IT ON!!!!!
though, neither the Scanner nor streaming computer is connected to that UPS….
Protective measures for outside antennas
Well a Part 15 AM and FM setup can implement some added measures for lightning protection/static charge buildup.
For AM sticks, install a spark gap. The easiest method is to use a small engine spark plug. The gap can be adjusted by simply tapping on the ground lug. Sure a little re-tuning will be required, but that task is far easier to deal with than it is to replace or repair a zapped transmitter.
The same can be done for an FM rig up on a pole.
Even with the best lightning protection throughout the system, from stem to stern, port to starboard, a lightning bolt contains untold of voltage and currents as well as produce huge flash EM spikes during a strike. This is why it is common to hear about equipment being zapped out miles away from where the strike actually made contact.
Nothing is 100 percent immune to a lightning strike. Another golden rule to always keep in mind. But with some creative innovation…you can certainly reduce the risks..and stay on the air.
RFB
AM sticks..??
AM sticks..??
Stick tricks
AM sticks..??
Yah…those little things out in the yard standing vertically with all those wires running up to it and extending outward from the center like spokes in a wheel…..the antenna! (inserting text emote icon to avoid any confusion) 😀
But the chances of one being directly hit by lighting, unless its hoisted up in the air higher than the nearest point of shortest path to ground..ie utility pole or other tower structure, or is the only thing of any height around for 50 yards or more, is so remote it is unlikely to ever happen.
But adding those extra things wont hurt. Its better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
RFB
lightning protection
It is specified in the NFPA,National Fire Protection Assn manual
,Motorola has an in depth study called the R56 spec. and there are others. They all strive to put all your protected equipment together in a protected zone. They all must be bonded together and to a solid ground,and have protection devices inline with the outside world,such as every antenna,phoneline and power outlet. One missed item violates the boundry and can make it worse than no protection at all. Antenna towers,electric utility ground,water pipe and sewer ground,gas and phoneline ground and all ground rods should be tied into one contiguous grounding system. The idea here is nothing will stop lightning from raising the potential to some big voltage level above ground,so keep all equipment at the same voltage level to minimize damage during a strike,and to provide a lower resistance path to ground to dissapate the strike. Lightning or surge supressors are needed at every entry point,POLYPHASERS work very well on antenna connections,GEMOV’s or thyristors woork well on powerfeeds and outlet strips,phonelines and data circuits. These can also benefit from dual inline fuses with some inductance in between. Large antennas,like AM broadcast towers,benefit from open air spark gap protection. Disconnecting and grounding unused antennas will also save equipment from possible damage,some antenna switches have this function built-in. A loop of several turns of coax outside the point of entry also tends to help keep lightning out of the shack. Add a lightning strike counter if you are curious…
My stats after 33 years:17 counted strikes,one direct hit with antenna destroyed but no equipment damage. I run 5 part15 transmitters 24/7/366 as well as two amateur radio repeaters and a dozen computers…all churning out the all hazards alarms as they come.
I run 5 part15 transmitters
I run 5 part15 transmitters 24/7/366
366 days a year?.. How often does that happen?
But the reason I post is because it reminded me of something I came across recently that I thought interesting, that you may not know..
The July 2011 Calendar has 5 complete weekends – 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays. And evidently this happens only once every 823 years.
This is called money bags.
(I have no idea why it’s called “money bags”)
On a semi-related note, I’ve got a ‘Ingraham BROADCAST 8 DAY Clock’ from ebay sitting on the shelf… it runs kind of fast though, so it’s really more like a ‘7 Day, 22 Hour, 16 Minute, and 52 Second Clock’
It’s for sale if anyone’s interested.
Ok, that’s about all the useless information I can come up with at the moment. But don’t worry…
Going the nth degree to be free of zapping sprees
It is specified in the NFPA….
Amazing. And I thought I was going to have to do the utility and phone company’s job to ensure compliance with codes. Good thing its a standard these days in homes and gardens eh? 😉
Have you ever heard of “technical ground”? Very common in studios to avoid ground loops…and those are not common point connected…they are isolated.
As hobby enthusiasts, even those with ham shack chitter chatter tickets, we can add to already approved UL and local code stock grounding with far more simple measures not requiring thousands of dollars or pounds of copper strap 4 to 6 inches wide in order to help protect our little tiny stations. Such overkill tends to bring down property value and decor appeal. 😀
But that was a very well written piece of info! I love this place!!!
RFB
knowledge is power
RFB,what is your problem? Do facts scare you or is it a personal agenda with me??? Its not the nth degree,its the law! I provided timely and factual information which you seem fit to twist and spin to poke fun at the poster. I didnt just make stuff up,I speak from 36 years of experience. When lightning does its dance and blows up your stuff,watch the insurance company decline your claim because it wasnt compliant. Yes,a thousand dollars worth of grounding can be justified when you have fifty times that or more at stake,not to mention your house and your very life,what is that worth? WAKE UP!
Next time add something positive and useful to a post instead of demeaning people on here. You should be banned!
As for me,this will be my final post. My account is now closed.
What just happened?! Did I
What just happened?! Did I miss something? I didn’t sense any demeaning going on Wilcom. Either I read RF’s comment wrong or maybe you saw it at a different angle.. but really, I don’t see what riled you up.
Relax boys.
ohmmmmmmm….
breath….
HUH?!!!
RFB,what is your problem?
Umm….I’m not sure the problem being referred to is over here. I actually applauded your post at the end. ?????
Now I am confused. ?!?!?!?! :/
However this is an example of a point I made in an episode of my radio show Z-Files…about how society has become so dependent on electronic interaction that it is sooo easy for people to misinterpret a line of text and be completely off in their assertions to the one who typed the text.
After centuries of the human species actually communicating face to face, utilizing body language and expression and emphasis to aid in the verbal part, it is not a surprise that its so easy for people to totally get it wrong.
The board does not have emote icons so other than :), :(, :D, :/ there isn’t a whole lot there one could add to help aid in interpreting typed text.
Back to the point in hand. Justifying a thousand bucks worth of grounding works and is expected in an industrial setting such as a radio transmitting site, a smelter with smoke stacks, electrical power plants and sub-stations, a small shed all alone in the middle of a wide open field and the only thing with any significant height around.
Honestly WIWL, and this is not meant to be demeaning by any means, but none of us, even you, have 150 grand worth of endless racks of gear sitting in our living rooms wired and fired, or radio towers exceeding 100 feet above the nearest utility pole that is equipped with NEC grounding meant to attract that lightning. Being realistic and real with what we work with in the realm of Part 15, and within the typical home setting, its all about a hobby that does not pull any more juice or run any further risk than sitting on the porch with a reading lamp under an umbrella during a sunny day having a BBQ and the worst thing to happen is a puppy comes along and steals your hamburger. But if you have had such bad case experiences in the past, then that’s good your well protected now eh…maybe even examine a few things in how they are wired in front of the 1k worth of grounding?
Sorry if something seemed to offend you, that wasn’t the intent in any of the post.
(inserted text emote icon to make sure post is not read incorrectly) ó¿ò
RFB
The local staff…good on air abilities….poor operation skills
The radio personnel who followed the storm were local staff and the EAS was not employed.
Most likely is because that staff has no idea how to use their EAS system to initiate a “local” warning bleep other than hitting that one button every week to test.
Considering the severity of the storm…and the potential it had for damage and danger to life….the station could have used that EAS box to send out the attention blips and bleeps.
From what I have seen at various stations doing contract engineering work…most stations’ EAS gear has one button, if even that, programed outside of the default test functions…..a very sad situation.
All that expensive gear sitting there basically serving no purpose other than to blip and bleep weekly tests and monthly tests.
Sad…just sad.
RFB
My Station KDSX And The EAS (EBS)
my station in the Sherman Denison area experienced a few storms a couple of days ago and my station is still in the process of getting upgraded and i am still looking for an EBS Encoder/Decoder from any website, (i still call the Emergency Alert System the Emergency Broadcast System) but i wish that they made an eas encoder/decoder affordable to buy for our part 15 stations for national and local emergencies don’t cha think!
going off the air when the sirens sounded
o yeah another thing is that when the air raid sirens sound off in Sherman for a tornado warning or a civil emergency message i tell the listeners that my station is going off the air and to tune to 1500 AM or 102.5 FM for official information from the Grayson County EMA and then i turn off my transmitter. and i get into my pantry with my 6 year old Boston Terrier. the nearest siren location is on archer street in Sherman and my god that damn thing is loud!
Warning Siren Interpretation
Is there a special “warning siren protocol,” for example, when the warning sirens in the neighborhood first sound they are sending a danger warning.
What about when they sound again some time later? Does that mean “All Clear,” or possibly “Second Danger Warning?”
After the intense storm passed here the other night the sirens sounded again briefly and I ran back to the basement, but the radio said the danger was passed and also past.
Yet another idea came to mind, as one siren off to the north apparently got stuck in the “ON” mode and sounded from the first warning to the final short burst. Maybe the final sounding of all the sirens was a way of “kicking” the stuck siren into shutting up.
where’s my siren?
I have a question.
Do all towns have a siren or required to have one?
I live in Elkridge, MD, and I don’t know if we have one or not, God forbid something happens and people are supposed to rely on Twitter or something unreliable.
I was thinking that only towns out in the midwest have them to warn of Tornadoes, but I wonder if other cities have them as well. I never hear a siren go off here.
Either that or we do and they are well hidden.
Siren Protocol
Our City has an outdoor siren warning system. We have seven sirens placed around the area.
Our AM TIS station is used during an alert to send out information regarding the nature of the alert.
The sirens ONLY sound for an alert. The sirens emit a STEADY TONE for three minutes. They are not used for an ALL CLEAR signal. This is to eliminate the confusion which you have mentioned; I hear the siren again. Is it an ALERT or an ALL CLEAR? Rather, the ALL CLEAR will be announced on the AM TIS station.
The AM TIS station is not part of the EAS system. Rather, there is a S.A.M.E receiver which decodes alerts for our area or a manually initiated message is broadcast. Those two situations preempt our regular audio feed.
Tybee Island has a real good
Tybee Island has a real good emergebcy management program.
We have four Sirens on the island, (which seems kind of overkill to me since it’s barely 2 1/2 miles long).. I remember when we only had one.. Now we have 4 and some of them are solar powered.
They run a test at noon on the first Wednesday of every month, and are very very loud.. dogs run in the house when they go off!
The siren sounds for 2 or 3 minutes followed by an announcement system telling you what the emergency is, and what to do, or tells you its just a test.
What’s more, there’s a Citizen Alert notification program we can register for (in person or online) that will alert you by phone, text, email, or whatever options you select, and options to receive info of not only emergencies, but also weather, road closings, traffic delays, power outs, water quality, crime bulletins, public hearings, etc. – and lets you prioritize which notifications you want first.
http://www.cityoftybee.org/EmergencyMgmt.aspx
This island has really changed a lot since I first moved here in 1980.. We had 1 siren, 1 stoplight, and 4 cops.. and the bars didn’t close till 4am!
Sirens
I know McKinney has sirens all over the place. There’s one not too far from my house, they talk too,
but heck you can never tell what they say.