Overview
Tension Meters for Improved Health and Safety
In the past 30 years, the increased demand for wireless and broadcast communications has spurred dramatic growth in communication tower construction and maintenance. With tower heights reaching in excess of 1000 or 2000 feet, it is incredibly important that they are structurally sound. Tensioned cables, also known as guy wires, are designed to add stability to free-standing structures such as cell towers. One end of the guy is attached to the structure, and the other is anchored to the ground at some distance from the mast or tower base. The tension in the diagonal guy-wire, combined with the compression and buckling strength of the structure, provide additional support which allows the structure to withstand lateral loads such as wind or the weight of cantilevered structures.
Meeting Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) standards
Adam Fear, Vice President at Branat Construction, explains, “It is important to measure guy wire tensions to ensure that the tower is in compliance with Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) standards. It also ensures that the engineered structural analysis on the tower is accurate. Often a tower can be brought within acceptable capacity by simply adjusting the guy wire tensions as opposed to adding additional steel to the structure.”
Quick Check tension meter for fast and accurate results
Adam continued, “The Dillon Quick Check is the number one established brand in the industry and anyone who does guy wire work usually has one. If you are actively adjusting the guy wire tension, it is a huge time saver to have a read-out of the tensions – and you can actually watch the tension drop/increase on the screen in real-time as you adjust the turnbuckles. For this reason, the quick check can easily cut your time in half.”
About Branat Construction
Branat Construction have many years of experience with inspections, tower modification upgrades, tower maintenance and complete site builds. These services have been performed to the standards of all tower owners, including but not limited to: American Tower, Crown Castle, US Cellular, SBA Communications, Grain Communications, T-Mobile, Verizon, Duke Energy, AT&T, NC Highway Patrol, as well as local & federal government jurisdictions.