Antenna Inspections

[UFOMedic]

I need to inspect a Broadcast TV Antenna and the 330kv Transmission Line that is 900 feet up a 1200 foot tower. Anyone ever done anything like this with the Evo II Pro V2? Had any issues? I am a little concerned about 330kv transmitter and the impact on the drone. Any thoughts?

 

[REStewart]

The 330kv and/or the tv antenna should not be an issue if you maintain reasonable space. Common sense will keep you out of trouble here.

 

[RareAirDennis]

Absolutely, reasonable space indeed... I have done closeup inspections of AM broadcast towers as well as medium power FM stations, but not approached any closer than about 20 feet from the FM antenna and stayed out of it's main pattern (AM stations are no threat). By "main pattern" I mean above or below it, not directly horizontally in front of it. If it's a directional radiator you could feel safe approaching closer from behind. I would not worry about the 330kv transmission line, but I would be VERY APPREHENSIVE about approaching a TV transmitting antenna. They run very high peak ERP (megawatts) with a digital signal that could very easily scramble electronics. Your drone could to anything from completely shutting down to gyrating wildly out of control to the ground. If you're doing this inspection of a TV transmitting antenna at the request of the station owner coordinate a shutdown of the transmitter during the inspection. If they won't do it, sign an agreement with them to replace the drone in case of failure. Make good use of zoom.