Active radio broadcast tower info please

[annamariaslim]

Beautiful field to fly in, right on Sarasota Bay. On one end is an active 330' radio broadcast tower. I'd like some info on flying nearby, any cautions or advice? Gut feeling is to stay away from it but... How far away or things to look out for? TIA Mavic 3 Classic

 

[PixelMagic]

I found some information on a prior post...

Flying near antenna towers

Anyone have experience flying around antenna towers? Does the energy emitted from the antenna interfere with the drone flight? I have been tempted to fly around some cell towers and even a radio tower, but not sure what to expect. I want to keep a safe distance, but don't know what distance...

mavicpilots.com

Mark

 

[Echo4Thirty]

I have flown numerous towers from 150' monopole cell/microwave towers to 2000' broadcast sticks with various power TV/FM outlets on them. I try to avoid flying in the beam of the microwave (directly in front of where its pointing) as these frequencies are sometimes near our control links for the drones. That said, getting near the high power TV/FM or LMR antennas has not been an issue. I usually fly the Air 2 on the towers, but have taken the mini 2 up as well. I pay VERY close attention to both the signal strength as well as GPS meters. These will give advanced notice of degrading conditions and allow you to move away. RF levels fall off rapidly with distance especially in the vertical plane from the antennas. When I have noticed interference, I typically lower the drone quickly to see if its being affected by an antenna near the same altitude. If so, then I fly vertical past it quickly and usually the interference goes away.

It was wild being legally up at 2400' (2000' FM/TV) and still having full control of the aircraft. I had high power strobes mounted to the bottom and could still see the white flash from it from my operating position. I also had a station engineer next to me acting as my VO. I did not stay above the antennas long and was glad the aircraft had an ADSB receiver.

Flying towers sure is better on my legs than me hauling my tail up there, cheaper for the operators as well.

 

[JimWest]

The other issue with many towers is guy wires, which can be difficult to see.

 

[Echo4Thirty]

Agreed. For safety, I launch from the middle of a set of strings and do not vary from side to side until I get above the last string. Since I am doing a tower inspection, typically we want to see the face and what's in it. Also be aware of antennas and candelabras that protrude from the tower. Some of them can be more than 6' away from the tower. You wont see them above you until you smack into them during your ascent. Some of the large towers have faces that are 6-10' wide but look the same visually as smaller towers with 2' faces. Do a good visual inspection from the ground of what's hung on the side of the tower before flying or keep a good distance away if unsure. Digital zoom in post production is your friend!

The other guy wire tip, if you fly above the tower and move around and have lost the guy wires, look straight down at the ground. The wires themselves wont be visible, but there is typically a 'cut' in the pattern on the ground at 120 degree intervals from the tower where the guy wires come down into their anchors. This has saved my bacon when I lost awareness and did not want to lawn dart into the ground.

 

[annamariaslim]

Don't really want to fly the tower as such, just the field near to it. The field is around 200' away from the tower and that is where I will fly, good to go?

 

[Echo4Thirty]

I would be very aware of the guy wires, They can stretch out horizontally from the tower hundreds of feet. You may have a very difficult time seeing them on your phone/tablet/goggles before its too late. Of course this does not apply to freestanding or monopole towers.

As for RF interference, at those distances I doubt you would have any issues unless you happen to fly into the beamwidth of a microwave dish operating at 5.8-6 GHz.