Extreme Heat and Transmitters?

[KML0224]

I've been reading about all the extreme heat out west this week (I'm in Connecticut). Aside from blackouts or brownouts, what long-term effects can all this heat have on a TV or radio transmitter? ???

 

[vibe]

I don't have much to add except to say that according to the USA Today Weather Atlas (1995) when the air temperature at Death Valley was measured at 128 deg F (at 5 ft above ground level) the ground temp was measured at 201 deg F! So it must partly depend on where the transmitter components are located.

 

[dhett]

TV stations here in AZ don't seem to be down much more often than elsewhere, so I'd guess the heat doesn't have that much impact. Here in Phoenix, we've been 110 degrees or higher for 11 straight days now, and 16 days in the past month, but AFAIK, no stations are having problems.

Disclaimer: I am not in the business; I'm just a viewer.

 

[w9wi]

TV stations here in AZ don't seem to be down much more often than elsewhere, so I'd guess the heat doesn't have that much impact. Here in Phoenix, we've been 110 degrees or higher for 11 straight days now, and 16 days in the past month, but AFAIK, no stations are having problems.

Our transmitter facility in Nashville is air-conditioned. (which isn't cheap!)

I don't know for certain that all facilities are.

 

[dhett]

Perhaps I misunderstood Kevin, because everything in Phx is air conditioned. I was thinking that he was referring to the actual transmitter at the top of the tower, plus the wiring feeding into it from the control room.

 

[KML0224]

Yeah, I mean how they hold up in the extreme heat and what not outside. I can't imagine what the surface temperature must be on the floor of the desert right now. OUCH!

 

[dhett]

I'm a little skeptical of USA Today's measurement that Vibe reported, but when it's this hot, it's not a good idea to go barefoot on dirt, pavement or cement. And if you fall, you could get burned if you don't get up quickly.

If I can think of anything that might compare with transmitter components, it would be components in your car. The heat kills car batteries (two years is all you can expect) but I've never had a heat-related problem with wiring or other components. I would think that outdoor components would be designed to withstand much higher temperatures.

While television transmitters are generally located high above the area they serve for maximum coverage, and where it could be 10-15 degrees cooler, radio transmitters often are not, and transmitters for other types of communications (cell phones, etc.) usually are not. I've never noticed problems with them in the heat either.

 

[easttxtv]

I heard somewhere in the last couple of days that some people driving in Vegas were having blowouts because the streets were so hot. All the more reason to stay where I'm at....