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Hot Dog and RF - what could go wrong?

This is a father/son combination that has done a few broadcasting-related things for the clicks...

This one - not sure I would recommend it, but dad's the CE at the station.



If something went sideways, he'd be the one on the hook to fix it.
 
I know the Geerlings, and they're great guys. I'm hoping to collaborate with them on some video projects someday.
 
The electric distribution company in Houston (now CenterPoint) some years ago did a seminar for TV & radio truck operators to demonstrate the danger of power lines and masts. They had a trailer set up with a few thousand watt gasoline generator back feeding a pole transformer stepping up the voltage to distribution level, something like 7,200 volts. This fed an open wire between two insulated pole on the trailer simulating an overhead power line. One part of the demonstration involved placing a hot dog on an insulated stick and bringing it close to the energized line. In this case the hot dog exploded, clearly demonstrating what could occur if human flesh got too close to a power line.
 
Dr. Bob, did you see this in person? If the voltage was low frequency AC and the hot dog was on an insulated stick and not touching two conductors, why would it explode? Birds don't explode when they sit on one conductor of a medium high voltage power line.

And to respond to the "what can go wrong?" question in the title- What could go wrong is public perception.
Content like this can trigger people who are inclined to panic over events in life that have a low probability of happening.

The hot dog video relates to public risk from radio towers, to the same extent as a video of an exploding cellphone battery killing someone who is using it. Both are not high probability risks to the general public, and I think making social media content of this is not helpful.

Especially the radio tower example, because a person has to take action to be at risk.
 
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Dr. Bob, did you see this in person? If the voltage was low frequency AC and the hot dog was on an insulated stick and not touching two conductors, why would it explode? Birds don't explode when they sit on one conductor of a medium high voltage power line.
The stick was insulated but you'll see a GROUND wire attached to the opposite end of the hot dog from the tower

And to respond to the "what can go wrong?" question in the title- What could go wrong is public perception.
Content like this can trigger people who are inclined to panic over events in life that have a low probability of happening.

The hot dog video relates to public risk from radio towers, to the same extent as a video of an exploding cellphone battery killing someone who is using it. Both are not high probability risks to the general public, and I think making social media content of this is not helpful.

Especially the radio tower example, because a person has to take action to be at risk.
 
Dr. Bob, did you see this in person? If the voltage was low frequency AC and the hot dog was on an insulated stick and not touching two conductors, why would it explode? Birds don't explode when they sit on one conductor of a medium high voltage power line.

And to respond to the "what can go wrong?" question in the title- What could go wrong is public perception.
Content like this can trigger people who are inclined to panic over events in life that have a low probability of happening.

The hot dog video relates to public risk from radio towers, to the same extent as a video of an exploding cellphone battery killing someone who is using it. Both are not high probability risks to the general public, and I think making social media content of this is not helpful.

Especially the radio tower example, because a person has to take action to be at risk.
Yes, I attended the seminar. IIRC the stick was grounded. They also drew some very impressive arcs. As I stated previously, the seminar was for people operating pneumatic masts that can and have been raised into overhead power lines. The seminar also included a video of a lineman who inadvertently reached and contacted a live line without proper protective gear. He survived, but had severe injuries and he was in an “insulated” bucket truck. The term insulated being dependent on the condition and cleanliness of the truck.

BTW, they addressed the reason birds don’t explode in the seminar and that is the distance between their feet doesn’t allow for large displacement currents to flow between their legs contacting the power line. If a bird contacts two phases or one phase and ground they will be electrocuted. In the case of a person, due to the distance between your body parts contacting the line displacement currents can flow. Think of each case as a resistance in parallel with the power line. The birds resistance is small but a human’s is large enough to cause enough current to flow for electrocution.

It was advised that if you did raise a mast into a power line and you were inside the truck making it line potential, to jump as far away as possible, crouch in a ball and shuffle your feet in small steps to minimize the displacement currents.
 
It was advised that if you did raise a mast into a power line and you were inside the truck making it line potential, to jump as far away as possible, crouch in a ball and shuffle your feet in small steps to minimize the displacement currents.
Another advantage of the industry moving away from expensive and dangerous situations involving live trucks with microwave masts to Cell/IP like Dejero, LiveU, Comrex, etc. Not only can you stop the madness of buying and maintaining expensive vans and the risks involved, but MMJ's can easily set up their own live shot from the contents in their backpack.
 
Another advantage of the industry moving away from expensive and dangerous situations involving live trucks with microwave masts to Cell/IP like Dejero, LiveU, Comrex, etc. Not only can you stop the madness of buying and maintaining expensive vans and the risks involved, but MMJ's can easily set up their own live shot from the contents in their backpack.
The downside to using wireless data connectivity for video (or audio for that matter) is that you are dependent on the various wireless carriers for service. During severe weather or a natural catastrophe, the carriers might not be able to provide the data connectivity due to inoperable sites or high demand.
 
The downside to using wireless data connectivity for video (or audio for that matter) is that you are dependent on the various wireless carriers for service. During severe weather or a natural catastrophe, the carriers might not be able to provide the data connectivity due to inoperable sites or high demand.
I think most stations are keeping at least one sat or live truck around in case such a calamity were to occur. These days operations use Starlink portable Internet terminals along with Dejero's and LiveView should cell/PCS be unavailable. $140 a month for a Starlink subscription is cheaper than paying someone to sit around waiting to drive a live truck or the risks and costs involved with maintaining such vehicles and radio gear.
 
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Another advantage of the industry moving away from expensive and dangerous situations involving live trucks with microwave masts to Cell/IP like Dejero, LiveU, Comrex, etc. Not only can you stop the madness of buying and maintaining expensive vans and the risks involved, but MMJ's can easily set up their own live shot from the contents in their backpack.
Not privy to the financials but here in Atlanta the "storm trucks" are sponcered usually by a truck/ car advertiser and they broadcast going into the storm. Usually the "newest weather or news reporter" is making reports. If some something really bad happens I guess "new" talent is "expendable". I assume they are using a cell company's data. The news crews have vans with small dishs on the roof. There are some vans without the dish too.

I haven't personally seen a news van in operation for over 20 years. I've been lucky no fires, floods, tornadoes or shootings near me except for a Home Depot Shooting a couple of years ago which I witnessed a guy ducking behind pickup shooting at his business partner. I was just pulling in and promptly left violating the hand free cell phone driving law as I called 911. One of the guys was having an affair with his partners wife. One of the guys died but not charges were filed to the best of my knowledge.

It was a "busy" news day in Atlanta and news crews didn't get up here for a couple of hours. The police never called me. I gave them my number. I guess the the deceased fired first and it was ruled self defense.
 
The downside to using wireless data connectivity for video (or audio for that matter) is that you are dependent on the various wireless carriers for service. During severe weather or a natural catastrophe, the carriers might not be able to provide the data connectivity due to inoperable sites or high demand.
Maxxkonnect supplies prioritized cell service, puts you just below E911, so it works in congested situations. The real problem with depending on wireless data is simple cell availability in shielded areas indoors. The simple backpack fails a lot because the operator is in a location with no service. But congestion is not the issue with prioritized service.
 
Maxxkonnect supplies prioritized cell service, puts you just below E911, so it works in congested situations. The real problem with depending on wireless data is simple cell availability in shielded areas indoors. The simple backpack fails a lot because the operator is in a location with no service. But congestion is not the issue with prioritized service.
I’m aware of first responder level priority service like FirstNet and Frontline. Another priority service is Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) which is federal program and must be used with Wireless Priority Service (WPS). Both GETS & WPS must be approved in advanced with GETS seemingly having more stringent requirements. WPS provides for the “call” to go into a cue if the network is congested but you get priority over the general public. I don’t know about Maxxknonnect specifics, but I’m assuming that it uses WPS?
 
WPS provides for the “call” to go into a cue if the network is congested but you get priority over the general public. I don’t know about Maxxknonnect specifics, but I’m assuming that it uses WPS?
Could be, I don't think they specifically say what they're doing. It's presented in terms a user easily understand. I have clients that use it with success.

 
This is a father/son combination that has done a few broadcasting-related things for the clicks...

This one - not sure I would recommend it, but dad's the CE at the station.



If something went sideways, he'd be the one on the hook to fix it.
To honest it looks like the start of a Workman's Comp case. I hope some idiot without gloves, wooden stick, a knowledge of the he is doing doesn't try to climb a fence and try this for a tick tock challenge.
 
To honest it looks like the start of a Workman's Comp case. I hope some idiot without gloves, wooden stick, a knowledge of the he is doing doesn't try to climb a fence and try this for a tick tock challenge.
Russia's own Beavis & Butthead bagged that challenge 11 years ago on Youtube. They did at least wear gloves, but evidently got a painful taste of RF anyway:


I remember my parents telling me stories about freeform FM jocks doing their shows stoned on the air. My dad has cassettes from the early '70s of Dr. Demento doing a surf music special on KMET completely baked. This, though, takes smoking grass on the air to a whole new level. :p
 


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