Tower lights

[Gary F <gff@mediaone.net>]

Actually the WKLB tower uses strobes in the daytime and red beacons at night .

Strobes were found to be very annoying at night by the FAA and the DOT.

- -g.f.


- ----------
From: 	Shawn Mamros[SMTP:mamros@MIT.EDU]
Sent: 	Wednesday, November 18, 1998 10:46 AM
To: 	Bill O'Neill
Cc: 	boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org
Subject: 	Re: 1200 in Meffa 

Not sure who asked the first question (wasn't Bill), but...

>>Aren't tower lights supposed to be on 24/7?

No, at least not if red lights (either steady or blinking) are used.
They have to be turned on only at "civil twilight time".  For the WMBR
tower on the Eastgate building, we have a light meter that does the job
for us.

>I was curious as to why the new WKLB tower on 93 in Andover has strobes
>astride the tower day/night.  Proximity to Lawrence airstrip in N. Andover?

I don't know why it is, but every strobe-lit tower I've ever seen has the
lights on 24/7.  Nor do I know what the criteria are for using strobes vs.
reds, but airport proximity can't be the only criteria.  Otherwise, all the
radio towers in or near downtown Boston would have to use strobes due to
Logan, and almost all of the downtown towers use red lights.

- -Shawn Mamros
E-mail to: mamros@mit.edu

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