To keep your station’s tower healthy and reliable, interviewed specialists offered these suggestions.
Write a contingency plan. Collect the phone numbers to call and FCC forms that must be filed if tower problems arise. Review and update the plan annually.
Negotiate written emergency transmission agreements. Arrange alternative methods for carrying your signal. Be aware: EchoStar’s Dish Network may not cooperate with some options (see story).
Conduct a complete structural analysis. Many common types of inspections do not uncover design, damage or age-related insufficiencies. Only a complete structural analysis can ensure that all components conform to the latest or forthcoming standard. Before renters place equipment on your tower, have them perform a complete analysis and then double-check it.
Establish a contingency fund or increase insurance coverage. Attorney fees for contingency plans, consultant fees for forensic investigations, lost revenues from transmission contracts and other costs can go well into six figures. Your insurance policy may need an additional rider to cover a complete structural analysis.
Get a second opinion. Hire more than one professional engineering firm to conduct inspections and structural analyses. At a minimum, ask a second firm to review reports and findings.
Ask relevant questions. Don’t just ask, “Does my tower meet standards?” There are many exemptions and exceptions to consider. Some relevant questions are: Are any tower components so outdated that we should consider replacing them? Does our tower have any Achilles’ heels? What could result? Should we consider doing what forthcoming standards will require?
Structure RFPs to ensure all bids are the best bid. Ask each bidder to include a site-specific analysis for 100- and 500-year weather events. Place a dollar value on bidders’ intangible qualifications such as professional commendations, technical and safety certifications, past maintenance costs for towers at other locations and subcontractor (if any) qualifications, etc. Always survey peer stations for unvarnished feedback on their experience with vendors. Consider the advantages of vendors who participate in standards development and will know a standard’s strengths and weaknesses.
Never skip scheduled maintenance. A common error among tower owners is cutting maintenance from one year’s budget without catching up the following year.
Hire the right contractor for the job. Don’t expect a light-bulb contractor to handle other upkeep tasks, unless you’re paying them to do so. Investigate contractors’ credentials and seek guidance among your peers. Given the abundant worldwide demand for tower work, it’s a red flag to find an established tower firm that’s not busy.
Web page posted Aug. 6, 2007
Copyright 2007 by Current Publishing Committee
