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LPFM Tower Collapse

We have a local high school station that has been off the air for approximately two weeks, including their stream. Unfortunately, it was the one I managed until two years ago. I am sure they have filed nothing at this point.
 
There is an article about the KEBF event in Radio World: Calif. LPFM Asks for Help in Replacing Its Tower - Radio World

According to that article: "The tower is owned by the city of Morro Bay, and KEBF’s management worries it may not be replaced. Founder Hal Abrams said volunteers are searching for possible new tower space to mount the antenna."

One idea they might want to explore is erecting a new tower at the station site. The station is located in a one-story building in the center of town and has a decent-sized parking lot. They could take a portion of that lot and put up a tower that would accommodate a 13.4 meter high antenna. Everything in one location. Another idea, is to contract with the owners of a new Hampton Inn hotel that was just built in Morro Bay. It is one of the few 3-story structures in the city and is near the old antenna site. Perhaps they could erect a short tower on the roof and make that their transmission site.
 
Is anyone surprised this came crashing down? A 20 foot pole with guy wires would have stood a better chance. Zoning would not have passed this for inspection in my town.
 
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Are those STL yagis on top of the 25G?? Pretty top-heavy, it appears....and I would think the wind might cause problems with signal, moving the antenna(s) (albeit perhaps slightly) out-of-line.....
 
KEBF-LP does have a 950 MHz STL license (WRWC921). The transmitter is at 695 Harbor Street, Morro Bay, CA. No sign of the STL on Streetview at the studio. The license was granted on February 7, 2023 but they have yet to file a NT for it.
 
Oldie919 said:
Are those STL yagis on top of the 25G??
Click to expand...

Top antenna looks like a commercial UHF two-way antenna, not STL. There are some Ubiquiti-style microwave dishes mounted lower on the tower.

Online pictures of the collapsed structure appear to show the base plate has completely separated from the roof. Interesting failure mode.
 
awsherrill said:
Top antenna looks like a commercial UHF two-way antenna, not STL. There are some Ubiquiti-style microwave dishes mounted lower on the tower.

Online pictures of the collapsed structure appear to show the base plate has completely separated from the roof. Interesting failure mode.
Click to expand...
You're right about the antennas. The top one is a UHF dipole.
Hard to see on the photo, but it looks like the guy wire angle is too steep, not allowing for enough lateral support. Overall, I don't think the tower, assuming it's been maintained and not covered with rust inside, is overloaded. I've seen many more Rohn 25G towers with much more stuff on them than this one standing for decades.
 
ZebraRadio said:
View attachment 6120

Here is a pix of the KEBF-LP studio. They could possibly put a tower on the parking lot (and fence it really well).
Click to expand...
Sounds like a lot of delay in getting back on. 1. Frequency search. 2. Zoning 3. New application for CP. 4. Build at new site.
5. New license applied for.

Old site. Antenna was only 19 feet up on tower. This could be back on quickly. Ask the volunteers to donate $1.00 each to buy poles. 15 to 20 feet above roof.
 
According to the KSBY article, it's sounds like the city is reluctant to put up a new tower to replace the old one or it's a very low priority project. It may also be that KEBF was the sole occupant and the city stopped using the tower a while ago. As I remember it, there aren't any other towers like the one that fell, so they're going to have to get creative in finding a replacement location.
 
It's a tower for an LPFM, we are not talking about the ESB in NYC or Mount Wilson. They should be able to get back on the air for a few thousand dollars.
 
RadioGuy1864 said:
It's a tower for an LPFM, we are not talking about the ESB in NYC or Mount Wilson. They should be able to get back on the air for a few thousand dollars.
Click to expand...
The issue does not seem to be money. It is California and city zoning and requirements as well as heightened NIMBY presence everywhere.

Where I live, no carrier has a good cellular signal. When any of them try to get new towers put in, even those disguised as "Telephone Trees" or "Phone Palms", they are stopped by residents. Then the residents complain about bad cell service.
 
The news stories say they're desperate for donations to get back on the air and needing to raise thousands. No mentions of trouble with the city or zoning. So have they asked the city if they can put a pole back on that roof? An engineer sometimes must get the job done with resources at hand.

My wife is president of an LPFM. She would be on butts like FRUIT OF THE LOOM OR HANES.
 
Our city is internationally known for it's architecture and they have turned down radio station requests for towers many time. After a few no's from the zoning board my wife had enough. She read that our governor had passed a rule that all hams could have 75 feet. So she went back into zoning and showed them her ham license. All she said was, " checkmate boys."

Now the head of zoning enforcement is on her board and the city makes donations.

​

 
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