Adventures in Technology | XpressNet · Central Alberta · circa 1998–1999
There's something important you should know about large aluminum communications dishes.
There's something important you should know about large aluminum communications dishes.
They're very good at catching signals.
They're also extremely good at catching wind.
Back in the late 1990s, we needed to position a roughly ten-foot spun-aluminum dish on a communications tower west of Red Deer.
It was approximately freezing outside, with winds around 25 km/h.
And there I was, high on the tower, discovering the fascinating relationship between surface area and aerodynamic force.
From the ground, the dish was an impressive piece of telecommunications equipment.
Up on the tower, it was a sail.
A very large sail.
Attached to something I was supposed to hold steady while adjusting bolts.
Engineers have mathematical formulas for calculating wind loading.
I was conducting a practical demonstration.
My conclusion?
The wind was working perfectly.
The internet connection, not so much.
Somewhere below me, our technician was probably feeling extremely good about his fear of heights. 🌬️📡😂