View source for Radio masts and towers

{{Short description|Tall structures designed to support antennas}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Redirect|Telecommunications tower|individual structures|Telecommunications Tower (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Tokyo Tower M4854.jpg|thumb|[[Tokyo Tower]]]]
{{Antennas|systems}}
'''Radio masts and towers''' are typically tall structures designed to support [[antenna (radio)|antenna]]s for [[telecommunication]]s and [[broadcasting]], including [[television]]. There are two main types: guyed and self-supporting structures. They are among the tallest human-made structures. Masts are often named after the broadcasting organizations that originally built them or currently use them.

A [[mast radiator]] or radiating tower is one in which the metal mast or tower itself is energized and functions as the transmitting antenna.

{{clear left}}

==Terminology==<!-- This section is linked from [[List of tallest structures in the world]] -->
[[File:Tower base.jpg|thumb|right|A radio mast base showing how virtually all lateral support is provided by the guy-wires]]
The terms "mast" and "tower" are often used interchangeably. However, in structural engineering terms, a '''tower''' is a self-supporting or [[cantilever]]ed structure, while a [[Guyed mast|'''mast''']] is held up by stays or [[guy-wire]]s.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://telecomtowers.typepad.com/blog/2010/10/telecom-tower-types.html| title=Telecom Tower Types|author=| website=Telecom Tower Manufacturer| publisher=Honekai Media|date=2010-10-31|access-date=2024-08-21}}</ref>

; A ''mast'': is a [[guyed mast]], a thin structure without the shear strength to stand unsupported, that uses attached [[guy line]]s for stability. They may be mounted on the ground or on top of buildings.  Typical ''masts'' are of steel lattice or tubular steel construction.  Masts tend to be cheaper to build but require an extended area surrounding them to accommodate the guy wires.

; A ''tower'': is a self-supporting structure, possibly also placed on a rooftop, that accomplishes the same purpose of raising actual radiating antennas to a functional height. Since it does not require land area from which to anchor guy lines, towers are more commonly used in cities where land is in short supply.{{efn|name=mast_vs_tower_note|
Broadcast engineers in the U.K. use the same terminology as the U.S., but terminology "mast" and "tower" as used in English speaking countries makes a different distinction from their use in continental Europe: The distinction in the terminology in non-English speaking countries is based on how the structure is kept aloft; in English speaking countries, the distinction is more over whether the structure seems relatively big or small.
:
In the U.S., structures called ''masts'' are typically relatively small, un-guyed structures, while larger structures, whether guyed or un-guyed, are referred to as ''towers''. The U.S. [[Federal Communications Commission]] regulations, for example, use ''tower'' to describe structures used for radio or television transmission, regardless of whether it is guyed or not. 
}}

[[File:Tokyo Sky Tree 2012 Ⅳ.JPG|thumb|left|The [[Tokyo Skytree]] was, in 2012, the tallest freestanding tower in the world]]
There are a few borderline designs that are partly free-standing and partly guyed, called ''[[additionally guyed tower]]s''. Examples:
; [[Gerbrandy tower]]: consists of a self-supporting tower with a guyed mast on top.
; [[Blaw-Knox tower]]s: Those few of the towers still standing do the opposite: They have a guyed lower section surmounted by a freestanding part.
; [[Zendstation Smilde]]: is a tall tower with a guyed mast on top with guys which go to ground.
; [[Torre de Collserola]]: is a guyed tower with a guyed mast on top where the tower portion is not free-standing.

==History==
{{see also|History of broadcasting}}
The first experiments in [[radio communication]] were conducted by [[Guglielmo Marconi]] beginning in 1894. In 1895–1896 he invented the [[monopole antenna|vertical monopole or Marconi antenna]], which was initially a wire suspended from a tall wooden pole. He found that the higher the antenna was suspended, the further he could transmit, the first recognition of the need for height in antennas.  Radio began to be used commercially for [[radiotelegraph]]ic communication around 1900.<ref name=Laport-1952/>

The first 20&nbsp;years of commercial radio were dominated by [[radiotelegraph]] stations, transmitting over long distances by using very long [[wavelength]]s in the [[very low frequency]] band – such long waves that they are nearly unused at present. Because the extreme wavelengths were one to several kilometers long, even the tallest feasible antennas by comparison were still [[electrical length|too short, electrically]], and consequently had inherently very low [[radiation resistance]] (only 5~25&nbsp;Ohms). In any antenna, low radiation resistance leads to excessive power losses in its surrounding [[ground (electricity)|ground system]], since the low-resistance antenna cannot effectively compete for power with the high-resistance earth. To partially compensate, [[radiotelegraph]] stations used huge capacitively top-loaded [[T-antenna|flattop antennas]] consisting of horizontal wires strung between multiple {{convert|100-300|meter|ft}} steel towers to increase efficiency.<ref name=Laport-1952>
{{cite book
 | last  = Laport  | first = Edmund A.
 | year  = 1952
 | title = Radio Antenna Engineering
 | publisher = McGraw-Hill Book Co.
 | pages = 77–78, 79–81
}}<br/>
: {{cite web
 | title = section&nbsp;2.1.1, pages&nbsp;77–78
 | department = Radio Antenna Engineering
 | via = vias.org
 | url = http://www.vias.org/radioanteng/radio_antenna_engineering_02_01_01.html
}}
: {{cite web
 | title = section&nbsp;2.1.2, pages&nbsp;79–81
 | department = Radio Antenna Engineering
 | via = vias.org
 | url = http://www.vias.org/radioanteng/radio_antenna_engineering_02_01_02.html
}}
</ref>{{rp|style=ama|pp= 77–78}}

[[Image:Wire T antenna station WBZ 1925.jpg|thumb|Multiwire broadcast [[T-antenna]] of early AM station [[WBZ (AM)|WBZ]], [[Springfield, Massachusetts]], 1925.]]
[[AM broadcasting|AM]] [[radio broadcasting]] began around 1920. The allocation of the [[medium wave]] frequencies for broadcasting raised the possibility of using single vertical masts without top loading. The antenna used for broadcasting through the 1920s was the [[T-antenna]], which consisted of two masts with loading wires on top, strung between them, requiring twice the construction costs and land area of a single mast.<ref name=Laport-1952/>{{rp|style=ama|pp= 77–78}} In 1924 [[Stuart Ballantine]] published two historic papers which led to the development of the single mast antenna.<ref name=Laport-1952/>{{rp|style=ama|pp= 77–78}} In the first he derived the [[radiation resistance]] of a vertical conductor over a [[ground plane]].<ref name=Ballantine-1924>
{{cite journal
 | last = Ballantine   | first = Stuart  | author-link = Stuart Ballantine
 | date = December 1924
 | title = On the optimum transmitting wave length for a vertical antenna over perfect earth
 | journal = [[Proceedings of the Institute of Radio Engineers]]
 | volume = 12   | issue = 6  | pages = 823–832, 833–839
 | publisher = Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
 | doi = 10.1109/JRPROC.1924.220011   | s2cid = 51639724
}}
</ref>{{rp|style=ama|pp= 833–839}}
He found that the radiation resistance increased to a maximum at a length of {{nobr|{{sfrac| 1 | 2 }} [[wavelength]],}} so a mast around that length had an [[radiation resistance|input resistance]] that was much higher than the ground resistance, reducing the fraction of transmitter power that was lost in the ground system without assistance from a capacitive top-load. In a second paper the same year he showed that the amount of power radiated horizontally in [[ground wave]]s reached a maximum at a mast height of {{nobr|{{sfrac| 5 |8}} [[wavelength]].<ref name=Ballantine-1924/>{{rp|style=ama|pp= 823–832}}
}}
 
[[File:Hillmorton radio masts.jpg|thumb|left|Masts of the [[Rugby Radio Station|Rugby VLF transmitter]] near [[Rugby, Warwickshire|Rugby]], England]]
By 1930 the expense of the [[T-antenna]] led broadcasters to adopt the [[mast radiator]] antenna, in which the metal structure of the mast itself functions as the antenna.<ref name=Laport-1952/>{{rp|style=ama|pp= 79–81}}
One of the first types used was the diamond cantilever or [[Blaw-Knox tower]]. This had a diamond ([[rhombohedral]]) shape which made it rigid, so only one set of [[guy line]]s was needed, at its wide waist. The pointed lower end of the antenna ended in a large ceramic insulator in the form of a ball-and-socket joint on a concrete base, relieving bending moments on the structure. The first, a {{convert|665|foot|meter}} half-wave mast was installed at radio station [[WCBS (AM)|WABC]]'s 50&nbsp;[[kilowatt|kW]] transmitter at [[Wayne, New Jersey]] in 1931.<ref name=Radio-Craft>
{{cite news
 | title = Half wave mast antenna: A 665&nbsp;foot structure which constitutes a new departure
 | date = November 1931
 | magazine = [[Radio-Craft]]
 | volume = 3   | issue = 5   | page = 269
 | publisher = Techni-Craft Publishing Corp.
 | location = Mount Morris, IL
 | url = http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Radio-Craft/1930s/Radio-Craft-1931-11.pdf
 | via = americanradiohistory.com  | access-date = August 31, 2014
}}
</ref><ref name=Siemens-1931>
{{cite news
 | last = Siemens   | first = Frederick
 | date = December 1931
 | title = WABC's new "wire-less" antenna
 | magazine = [[Radio News]]
 | volume  = 8   | issue = 6   | pages = 462–463
 | publisher = Teck Publishing Corp.
 | location = New York, NY
 | url = http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Radio-News/30s/Radio-News-1931-12-R.pdf
 | via = americanradiohistory.com    | access-date = May 26, 2015
}}
</ref>
During the 1930s it was found that the diamond shape of the Blaw-Knox tower had an unfavorable current distribution which increased the power emitted at high angles, causing [[multipath fading]] in the listening area.<ref name=Laport-1952/>{{rp|style=ama|pp= 79–81}} By the 1940s the AM broadcast industry had abandoned the Blaw-Knox design for the narrow, uniform cross section lattice mast used today, which had a better radiation pattern.

The rise of [[FM radio]] and [[television broadcasting]] in the 1940s–1950s created a need for even taller masts. The earlier AM broadcasting used [[low frequency|LF]] and [[medium frequency|MF]] bands, where radio waves propagate as [[ground wave]]s which follow the contour of the Earth. The ground-hugging waves allowed the signals to travel beyond the horizon, out to hundreds of kilometers. However the newer FM and TV transmitters used the [[very high frequency|VHF]] band, in which radio waves travel by [[line-of-sight propagation|line-of-sight]], so they are limited by the [[horizon|visual horizon]]. The only way to cover larger areas is to raise the antenna high enough so it has a line-of-sight path to them.

Until 8&nbsp;August 1991, the [[Warsaw radio mast]] was the world's tallest supported structure on land; its collapse left the [[KVLY/KTHI-TV mast|KVLY / KTHI-TV mast]] as the tallest. There are over 50&nbsp;radio structures in the United States that are 600&nbsp;m ({{gaps|1|968.5&nbsp;ft}}) or taller.<ref>
{{cite web
 | title = Diagrams
 | website = Skyscraper Page (skyscraperpage.com)
 | publisher = Skyscraper Source Media
 | url = http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=62710343
}}
</ref>

==Materials==
===Steel lattice===
[[File:Russian_TV_tower_(Penza).JPG|thumb|left|220px|A [[3803 KM]]-type TV tower located in [[Penza]]]]
The steel lattice is the most widespread form of construction. It provides great strength, low weight and wind resistance, and economy in the use of materials.  Lattices of triangular cross-section are most common, and square lattices are also widely used. [[Guyed mast]]s are often used; the supporting [[guy line]]s carry lateral forces such as wind loads, allowing the mast to be very narrow and simply constructed.

When built as a tower, the structure may be parallel-sided or taper over part or all of its height. When constructed of several sections which taper exponentially with height, in the manner of the [[Eiffel Tower]], the tower is said to be an Eiffelized one. The [[Crystal Palace transmitting station|Crystal Palace]] tower in [[London]] is an example.

===Tubular steel===
[[File:KBRC antenna tower guy wires.JPG|thumb|right|upright=0.8|Typical 200 foot (61 m) triangular guyed lattice mast of an AM radio station in [[Mount Vernon, Washington]], US]]
[[Guyed mast]]s are sometimes also constructed out of steel tubes. This construction type has the advantage that cables and other components can be protected from weather inside the tube  and consequently the structure may look cleaner.
These masts are mainly used for FM-/TV-broadcasting, but sometimes also as mast radiator. The big mast of [[Mühlacker radio transmitter|Mühlacker transmitting station]] is a good example of this. 
A disadvantage of this mast type is that it is much more affected by winds than masts with open bodies. Several tubular guyed masts have  collapsed. In the UK,  the [[Emley Moor]] and [[Waltham transmitting station|Waltham]] TV stations masts collapsed in the 1960s. In Germany the [[Sender Bielstein|Bielstein transmitter]] collapsed in 1985.
Tubular masts were not built in all countries. In Germany, France, UK, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Japan and the Soviet Union, many tubular guyed masts were built, while there are nearly none in Poland or North America.

Several tubular guyed masts were built in cities in Russia and Ukraine. These masts featured horizontal crossbars running from the central mast structure to the guys and were built in the 1960s. The crossbars of these masts are equipped with a gangway that holds smaller antennas, though their main purpose is oscillation damping. The design designation of these masts is [[30107 KM]] and they are exclusively used for FM and TV  and are between {{convert|150-200|m|adj=on}} tall with one exception. The exception being the [[TV Tower Vinnytsia|mast in Vinnytsia]] which has height of 354&nbsp;m (1161&nbsp;ft) and is currently the tallest guyed tubular mast in the world after the [[Belmont transmitting station]] was reduced in height in 2010.

===Reinforced concrete===
[[File:Fernsehturm stuttgart.jpg|thumb|left|[[Fernsehturm Stuttgart|TV Tower]] in [[Stuttgart]], Germany: the first reinforced-concrete TV tower.]]
Reinforced concrete towers are relatively expensive to build but provide a high degree of mechanical rigidity in strong winds. This can be important when antennas with narrow beamwidths are used, such as those used for microwave point-to-point links, and when the structure is to be occupied by people.
[[File:Katanga TV Tower.jpg|thumb|right|Katanga TV tower, a reinforced-concrete tower in [[Jabalpur]], Madhya Pradesh, India.]]

In the 1950s, AT&T built numerous concrete towers, more resembling silos than towers, for its first transcontinental microwave route.<ref>
{{cite web
 |last=Weishan |first=Wayne
 |date=26 May 2008
 |title=AT&T's Concrete Microwave Towers
 |editor-last=la France  |editor-first=Albert
 |series=The Microwave Radio and Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
 |url=http://long-lines.net/tech-equip/radio/concrete_towers.html
 |access-date=2021-03-26   |df=dmy-all  |via = long-lines.net
}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite web
 |last=Michaels |first=Terry
 |date=31 July 2010
 |title=The Stations of AT&T's First Transcontinental Microwave Radio Route
 |editor-last=la France  |editor-first=Albert
 |series=The Microwave Radio and Coaxial Cable Networks of the Bell System
 |url=http://long-lines.net/places-routes/1st_transcon_mw/index.html
 |url-status=live  |via = long-lines.net  |access-date=2021-03-26
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211050230/http://long-lines.net/places-routes/1st_transcon_mw/index.html
 |archive-date=2021-02-11  |df=dmy-all
}}
</ref>

In [[Germany]] and the [[Netherlands]] most towers constructed for point-to-point microwave links are built of [[reinforced concrete]], while in the [[United Kingdom|UK]] most are [[lattice tower]]s.

Concrete towers can form prestigious landmarks, such as the [[CN Tower]] in [[Toronto]], Canada. In addition to accommodating technical staff, these buildings may have public areas such as observation decks or restaurants.

The Katanga TV tower near [[Jabalpur]], Madhya Pradesh, in central India hosts a high-power transmitter for the public broadcasters [[Doordarshan]] and [[Prasar Bharati]]. 

The [[Fernsehturm Stuttgart|Stuttgart TV tower]] was the first tower in the world to be built in reinforced concrete. It was designed in 1956 by the local civil engineer [[Fritz Leonhardt]].

===Fiberglass===
[[Fiberglass]] poles are occasionally used for low-power non-directional beacons or medium-wave broadcast transmitters.

=== Carbon Fiber ===
Carbon fibre monopoles and towers have traditionally been too expensive but recent developments in the way the carbon fibre tow is spun have resulted in solutions that offer strengths exceeding steel (10 times) for a fraction of the weight (70% less<ref>{{Cite news|date=2016-08-08|title=edotco Pioneers the First Carbon Fibre Tower in Asia|url=https://edotcogroup.com/media/edotco-pioneers-the-first-carbon-fibre-tower-in-asia/|access-date=2021-08-11|website=edotco}}</ref>) which has allowed monopoles and towers to be built in locations that were too expensive or difficult to access with the heavy lifting equipment that is needed for a steel structure.

Overall a carbon fiber structure is 40 - 50% faster to be erected compared to traditional building materials.[[Image:Bratislava, Staré Mesto, Slavín, pohled na vysílač Kamzík.jpg|thumb|right|[[Kamzík TV Tower]], overlooking [[Bratislava]], Slovakia.]]

===Wood===
{{As of|2022}}, wood, previously an uncommon material for telecommunications tower construction, has started to become increasingly common. In 2022, a wood telecommunications tower – the first of its kind in Italy – replaced a previously-existing steel structure to blend in with its wooded surroundings.<ref>
{{cite press release
 |title=Wooden-structured telecommunication towers introduce a low-carbon option for Europe's accelerating 5G market
 |date=2022-01-13
 |website=Forest.fi  |lang=en-GB
 |url=https://forest.fi/article/wooden-structured-telecommunication-towers-introduce-a-low-carbon-option-for-europes-accelerating-5g-market/
 |access-date=2022-08-02  |df=dmy-all
}}
</ref>
One of the most commonly cited reasons telecom companies opt for wood is because it is the only material in the industry that is [[Climate Positive Development Program|climate positive]].<ref>
{{cite press release
 |title=A celebration of the innovations and inventors that are shaping connectivity
 |date=2022-05-03
 |website=[[Wireless Infrastructure Association]] (wia.org)
 |url=https://wia.org/a-celebration-of-the-innovations-and-inventors-that-are-shaping-connectivity/
 |access-date=2022-08-02  |df=dmy-all
 |lang=en-US
}}
</ref>
For this reason, some utility pole distributors started to offer wood towers to meet the growing demands of 5G infrastructure. In the United States, for example, wood utility pole distributor Bell Lumber & Pole began developing products for the [[telecommunications industry]].<ref>
{{cite web
 |title=Treated wood utility poles: A beginners' guide
 |website=Bell Structural Solutions (bellstructural.com)
 |url=https://bellstructural.com/telecom-infrastructure/treated-utility-poles
 |access-date=2022-08-02  |lang=en
}}
</ref>

==Other types of antenna supports and structures==
===Poles===
Shorter masts may consist of a self-supporting or guyed wooden pole, similar to a telegraph pole. Sometimes self-supporting tubular [[galvanized steel]] poles are used: these may be termed monopoles.

===Buildings===
In some cases, it is possible to install transmitting antennas on the roofs of tall buildings. In [[North America]], for instance, there are transmitting antennas on the [[Empire State Building]], the [[Willis Tower]], [[Prudential Tower]], [[4 Times Square]], and [[One World Trade Center]]. The [[List of tenants in 1 World Trade Center (1971–2001)|North Tower]] of the original [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] also had a {{convert|110|m|adj=on}} telecommunications antenna atop its roof, constructed in 1978–1979, and began transmission in 1980. When the buildings collapsed, several local TV and radio stations were knocked off the air until backup transmitters could be put into service.<ref>
{{cite news
 |title=Some New York City TV and radio stations off the air after World Trade Center collapse
 |website=tvantenna.com
 |url=http://www.tvantenna.com/news/worldtradecenter.html
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061231122327/http://www.tvantenna.com/news/worldtradecenter.html
 |archive-date=2006-12-31
}}
</ref>
Such facilities also exist in [[Europe]], particularly for portable radio services and low-power [[Frequency modulation|FM]] radio stations. In [[London]], the [[BBC]] erected in 1936 a mast for broadcasting early television on one of the towers of a Victorian building, the [[Alexandra Palace]]. It is still in use.

{{clear}}
[[File:Finishing cross view.JPG|thumb|left|This {{convert|100|ft|adj=on}} tall cross conceals equipment for [[T-Mobile US|T-Mobile]] at Epiphany Lutheran Church in [[Lake Worth, Florida]], US. Completed in December 2009.]]

===Disguised cell-sites===
Disguised cell sites sometimes can be introduced into environments that require a low-impact visual outcome, by being made to look like trees, chimneys or other common structures.

Many people view bare [[Cell site|cellphone towers]] as ugly and an intrusion into their neighbourhoods. Even though people increasingly depend upon cellular communications, they are opposed to the bare towers spoiling otherwise scenic views. Many companies offer to 'hide' cellphone towers in, or as, trees, church towers, flag poles, water tanks and other features.<ref>
{{cite AV media
 |first=T.J. |last=la&nbsp;Fave
 |date=2006-05-22
 |title=Cell towers
 |medium=photos
 |series=Electrical & Computer Engineering&nbsp;1202
 |place=Charlotte, NC
 |publisher=[[University of North Carolina]] 
 |website=ece.uncc.edu
 |url=http://www.ece.uncc.edu/research/clean_room/engr1202/celltowers.html
 |access-date=2024-03-16  |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060912180144/http://www.ece.uncc.edu/research/clean_room/engr1202/celltowers.html
 |archive-date=2006-09-12  |df=dmy-all
}}
</ref>
There are many providers that offer these services as part of the normal tower installation and maintenance service. These are generally called "stealth towers" or "stealth installations", or simply [[Cell site#Camouflage|concealed cell sites]].

[[File:Wuzhen Xizha 2009-17.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Communications tower, at the horizon on the right, [[camouflage]]d as a tall tree.]]
The level of detail and realism achieved by disguised cellphone towers is remarkably high; for example, such towers disguised as trees are nearly indistinguishable from the real thing.<ref>
{{cite web
 |last=Armstrong |first=W.P.
 |year=2004
 |title=Cell phone trees (fake tree)
 |website=Wayne's Word
 |url=https://www2.palomar.edu/users/warmstrong/faketree.htm
 |url-status=live
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811021036/https://www2.palomar.edu/users/warmstrong/faketree.htm
 |archive-date=2019-08-11  |df=dmy-all
}}
</ref>
Such towers can be placed unobtrusively in [[national parks]] and other such protected places, such as towers disguised as [[cactus|cacti]] in United States' [[Coronado National Forest]].<ref>
{{cite web
 |last1=Wunderlich |first1=Marv
 |last2=Wunderlich |first2=Elaine
 |date=
 |title=Sabino Canyon Recreational Area
 |department=Coronado National Forest / Tucson, AZ
 |url=http://www.marlaine.com/personal/Tucson/SabinoCanyon/Sabino.htm
 |website=Marlaine Services
}}
</ref>

Even when disguised, however, such towers can create controversy; a tower doubling as a flagpole attracted controversy in 2004 in relation to the [[U.S. Presidential Election, 2004|U.S. presidential campaign of that year]], and highlighted the sentiment that such disguises serve more to allow the installation of such towers in subterfuge, away from public scrutiny, rather than to serve towards the beautification of the landscape.<ref>
{{cite web
 |last=Conway |first=Bruce
 |title=Stealth cell towers and the 2004 U.S. Presidential Elections
 |website=Lightwatcher
 |url=http://www.lightwatcher.com/culturejam/stealth_towers.html
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070217033709/http://www.lightwatcher.com/culturejam/stealth_towers.html
 |archive-date=2007-02-17
}}
</ref>{{original research |Radio masts and towers |date=October 2007}}

===Mast radiators===
{{Main|Mast radiator}}
A [[mast radiator]] or mast antenna is a radio tower or mast in which the ''whole structure'' is an antenna. Mast antennas are the transmitting antennas typical for [[long wave|long]] or [[medium wave]] broadcasting.

Structurally, the only difference is that some mast radiators require the mast base to be insulated from the ground. In the case of an insulated tower, there will usually be one insulator supporting each leg. [[folded unipole antenna|Some mast antenna designs]] do not require insulation, however,  so base insulation is not an essential feature. [[File:Woldegk_Sendeturm_Helpterberg_2011-05-06_181.JPG|thumb|Helpterberg Radio Tower]]



===Telescopic, pump-up and tiltover towers===
{{Main|Cell on wheels}}
A special form of the radio tower is the ''telescopic mast''. These can be erected very quickly. Telescopic masts are used predominantly in setting up temporary radio links for reporting on major news events, and for temporary communications in emergencies. They are also used in tactical military networks. They can save money by needing to withstand high winds only when raised, and as such are widely used in [[amateur radio]].

Telescopic masts consist of two or more concentric sections and come in two principal types:
*Pump-up masts are often used on vehicles, and are raised to their full height pneumatically or hydraulically. They are usually only strong enough to support fairly small antennas.
*Telescopic lattice masts are raised by means of a winch, which may be powered by hand or an electric motor. These tend to cater for greater heights and loads than the pump-up type. When retracted, the whole assembly can sometimes be lowered to a horizontal position by means of a second tiltover winch. This enables antennas to be fitted and adjusted at ground level before winching the mast up.

===Balloons and kites===
A tethered [[balloon]] or a [[kite flying|kite]] can serve as a temporary support. It can carry an antenna or a wire (for VLF, LW or MW) up to an appropriate height. Such an arrangement is used occasionally by military agencies or radio amateurs. The American broadcasters [[TV Martí]] broadcast a television program to [[Cuba]] by means of such a balloon.

===Drones===
In 2013, interest began in using [[unmanned aerial vehicle]]s (drones) for telecom purposes.<ref>
{{cite news
 |last=Jones |first=Trahern
 |date=2013-04-27 |df=dmy-all
 |title=Telecom-equipped drones could revolutionize wireless market
 |newspaper=[[The Arizona Republic]]
 |url=http://archive.azcentral.com/business/news/articles/20130424telecom-equipped-drones-could-revolutionize-wireless-market.html
}}
</ref>

===Other special structures===
{{See also|List of spans#Antenna spans across valleys}}
For two [[very low frequency|VLF]] transmitters wire antennas spun across deep valleys are used. The wires are supported by small masts or towers or rock anchors. The same technique was also used at [[Criggion radio station]].

For ELF transmitters [[ground dipole]] antennas are used. Such structures require no tall masts. They consist of two electrodes buried deep in the ground at least a few dozen kilometres apart. From the transmitter building to the electrodes, overhead feeder lines run. These lines look like power lines of the 10 kV level, and are installed on similar pylons.

==Design features==
===Economic and aesthetic considerations===
[[File:Felsenegg - Girstel IMG 3263.jpg|thumb|200px|right|[[Felsenegg-Girstel TV-tower]]]]
[[File:Limmattal - Swisscom-Tower - Uetlibergturm IMG 1652.JPG|thumb|left|250px|[[Uetliberg TV-tower]]]]
*The cost of a mast or tower is roughly proportional to the square of its height.{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}}
*A guyed mast is cheaper to build than a self-supporting tower of equal height.
*A guyed mast needs additional land to accommodate the guys, and is thus best suited to rural locations where land is relatively cheap. An unguyed tower will fit into a much smaller plot.
*A steel lattice tower is cheaper to build than a concrete tower of equal height.
*Two small towers may be less intrusive, visually, than one big one, especially if they look identical.
*Towers look less ugly if they and the antennas mounted on them appear symmetrical.
*Concrete towers can be built with aesthetic design considerations. They are sometimes built in prominent places and include observation decks or restaurants.

[[File:AmateurRadioAntenna.JPG|thumb|200px|right|A [[radio amateur]]'s [[do it yourself]] steel-lattice tower]]
[[File:Antenne-webcam-grosser-feldberg001.jpg|200px|thumb|right|[[Bergwacht]] antenna with a webcam mounted to aid in [[weather forecasting]] and observations of the [[Großer Feldberg]] plateau.]]

===Masts for HF/shortwave antennas===
For transmissions in the [[shortwave]] range, there is little to be gained by raising the antenna more than a half to three quarters of a [[wavelength]] above ground level, and at lower frequencies and longer wavelengths, the height becomes infeasibly great (greater than {{convert|85|m|ft}}). Shortwave transmitters rarely use masts taller than about 100&nbsp;metres.

===Access for riggers===
Because masts, towers and the antennas mounted on them require maintenance, access to the whole of the structure is necessary. Small structures are typically accessed with a ladder. Larger structures, which tend to require more frequent maintenance, may have stairs and sometimes a lift, also called a service elevator.

===Aircraft warning features===
Tall structures in excess of certain legislated heights are often equipped with [[aircraft warning lights|aircraft warning lamps]], usually red, to warn pilots of the structure's existence. In the past, ruggedized and under-run filament lamps were used to maximize the bulb life. Alternatively, neon lamps were used. Nowadays such lamps tend to use [[Light-emitting diode|LED]] arrays.[[File:Jamshoro Cellular Tower.jpg|thumb|Radio tower in [[Jamshoro]]]]

Height requirements vary across states and countries, and may include additional rules such as requiring a white flashing strobe in the daytime and pulsating red fixtures at night. Structures over a certain height may also be required to be painted with [[aircraft warning paint|contrasting color schemes]] such as white and orange or white and red to make them more visible against the sky.

==== Light pollution and nuisance lighting ====
In some countries where [[light pollution]] is a concern, tower heights may be restricted so as to reduce or eliminate the need for aircraft warning lights. For example, in the United States the [[1996 Telecommunications Act]] allows local jurisdictions to set maximum heights for towers, such as limiting tower height to below {{convert|200|ft}} and therefore not requiring aircraft illumination under US [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) rules.

===Wind-induced oscillations===
One problem with radio masts is the danger of wind-induced oscillations. This is particularly a concern with steel tube construction. One can reduce this by building cylindrical shock-mounts into the construction. One finds such shock-mounts, which look like cylinders thicker than the mast, for example, at the radio masts of [[VLF transmitter DHO38|DHO38]] in [[Saterland]]. There are also constructions, which consist of a free-standing tower, usually from [[reinforced concrete]], onto which a guyed radio mast is installed. One example is the [[Gerbrandy Tower]] in [[Lopik]], Netherlands. Further towers of this building method can be found near [[Zendstation Smilde|Smilde]], Netherlands and the [[:de:Fernsehturm Waldenburg|Fernsehturm]] in [[Waldenburg, Baden-Württemberg|Waldenburg]], Germany.

{{radio sidebar}}

===Hazard to birds===
{{Main|Towerkill}}
Radio, television and cell towers have been documented to pose a hazard to birds.  Reports have been issued documenting known bird fatalities and calling for research to find ways to minimize the hazard that communications towers can pose to birds.<ref>
{{cite report
 | first1 = Gavin G. | last1 = Shire
 | first2 = Karen    | last2 = Brown
 | first3 = Gerald   | last3 = Winegrad
 | date = June 2000
 | title = Communication towers: A deadly hazard to birds
 | publisher = [[American Bird Conservancy]]
 | website = Earthjustice.org
 | url = http://www.earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/library/reports/ABC_towerkillweb.pdf
 | access-date = 2010-09-29
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110712025851/http://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/library/reports/ABC_towerkillweb.pdf
 | archive-date = 2011-07-12
 | url-status = dead
}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite report
 | title = Avian Collisions at Communication Towers: Sources of information
 | date = June 2009
 | publisher = [[U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]]
 | url = http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/CurrentBirdIssues/Hazards/towers/towers.htm
 | access-date = 2010-08-13
}}
</ref>

There have also been instances of rare birds nesting in cell towers and thereby preventing repair work due to legislation intended to protect them.<ref>
{{cite web
 |title=Nesting falcon hits Vodafone customers in Southampton
 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-22144488
 |publisher=BBC News
 |date=15 April 2013
 |access-date=20 May 2013
}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite news
 |last=Ray |first=Bill
 |date=17 April 2013
 |title=Angry Birds fire back: Vulture cousins menace U.K. city's mobiles
 |newspaper=[[The Register]]
 |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/04/17/falcon/
 |access-date=20 May 2013
}}
</ref>

==Catastrophic collapses==
{{main|List of catastrophic collapses of radio masts and towers}}

{{Portal|Electronics|Telecommunication}}

==Footnotes==
{{notelist}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Radio}}
{{div col|colwidth=12em}}
* [[Antenna (radio)]]
* [[Cell on wheels]]
* [[Cell site]]
* [[Folded unipole antenna]] (a newer type of mast antenna)
* [[Lattice tower]] (also lists radio towers built of wood)
* [[Mast radiator]]
* [[Measurement tower]]
* [[Mobile cell sites]]
* [[Personal RF safety monitor]]
* [[T-antenna]] (an old type of mast antenna)
* [[Targeting tower]]
* [[Telecom infrastructure sharing]]
* [[Tower array]]
* [[Transmitter station]]
{{div col end}}

{{clear}}

==References==
{{reflist|25em}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite journal
 |last1=Sreevidya   |first1=S.
 |last2=Subramanian |first2=N.
 |date=September 2003
 |title=Aesthetic appraisal to antenna towers
 |journal=[[Journal of Architectural Engineering]]
 |publisher=[[American Society of Civil Engineers]]
 |volume=9 |issue=3 |pages=102–108
|doi=10.1061/(ASCE)1076-0431(2003)9:3(102)
 }}
* {{cite journal
|author=American Society of Civil Engineers. Subcommittee on Guyed Transmission Structures
|title=Design of Guyed Electrical Transmission Structures
|journal=ASCE Manuals and Reports on Engineering Practice
|publisher=American Society of Civil Engineers
|date=1997
|volume=91 |issue=91
}}{{ISBN|9780784402849}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Antenna towers}}
* {{cite web
 |title=All U.S. towers over 200&nbsp;feet
 |website=wireless.fcc.gov
 |url=http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/AsrSearch/asrRegistrationSearch.jsp
}} — Towers transmitting on certain frequencies, or having transmitters over a certain power, must be registered in the US. This is the online directory.
{{clear}}
{{refbegin|25em|small=yes}}
* {{cite AV media
 |medium=photos
 |title=Broadcast transmission sites in the U.K.
 |website= Transmission Gallery
 |url=http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/
}} 
* {{cite web
 |title= Constructing stayed masts
 |website= Transmission Gallery
 |url=http://tx.mb21.co.uk/features/construction/index.asp
 |url-status=dead <!-- presumed -->
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060114035155/http://tx.mb21.co.uk/features/construction/index.asp
 |archive-date=2006-01-14  |df=dmy-all
}} 
* {{cite AV media
 |medium=photos
 |first=Scott |last=Fybush
 |title=international tower photographer who has documented thousands of towers in his travels
 |website=fybush.com
 |url=http://www.fybush.com
}} 
* {{cite AV media
 |medium=photos
 |first=Tom |last=Bosscher
 |title=Western Michigan's website on towers of Michigan
 |website= broadcast.net/~sbe102
 |url=http://www.broadcast.net/~sbe102/towers.html
 |url-status=dead <!-- presumed -->
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060501065954/http://www.broadcast.net/~sbe102/towers.html
 |archive-date=2006-05-01  |df=dmy-all
}}
* {{cite AV media
 |medium=photos
 |first=Mike |last=Fitzpatrick
 |title= contains tower pictures from New England, New York, and beyond
 |website=NECRAT.US tower based website
 |url=http://www.necrat.us
}} — contains tower pictures from New England, New York, and beyond
* {{cite web
 |title=Turkish towers
 |website=ser.net.tr
 |language=Turkish
 |url=http://www.ser.net.tr
}} 
* {{cite web
 |title=Amateur radio tower construction project
 |website=n0hr.com
 |url=http://www.n0hr.com/ham_radio_tower.htm
}}
* {{cite web
 |title=Displays over {{gaps|12|000}} towers at least 80&nbsp;meters tall, used in wind resource assessment
 |website=windpole.com
 |url=http://www.windpole.com
}}
* {{cite web
 |title=French towers
 |language=French
 |website=wanadoo.fr
 |url=http://perso.wanadoo.fr/tvignaud/
}}
*  {{cite web
 |title=The legal landscape when a tower collapses
 |website=mobar.org/journal/2001
 |url=http://www.mobar.org/journal/2001/julaug/oflaherty.htm
 |url-status=dead <!-- presumed -->
 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20020219140503/http://www.mobar.org/journal/2001/julaug/oflaherty.htm
 |archive-date=2002-02-19  |df=dmy-all
}}
* {{cite AV media
 |medium=photos
 |first=Richard |last=Moore
 |title= U.K. TV and radio transmission sites
 |website=Anorak Zone photo gallery (the-moores.co.uk)
 |url=http://www.the-moores.co.uk/MediaGallery/Default.aspx?directory=56
 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121209120811/http://www.the-moores.co.uk/MediaGallery/Default.aspx?directory=56
 |archive-date=2012-12-09  |df=dmy-all
}}
* {{cite web
 |title=Mobile phone masts & radio base station planning U.K.
 |website=mobilemastinfo.com
 |url=http://www.mobilemastinfo.com/information/fact_sheets/mobile_phones_and_base_stations.htm
 |url-status=dead <!-- presumed -->
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080916075900/http://www.mobilemastinfo.com/information/fact_sheets/mobile_phones_and_base_stations.htm
 |archive-date=2008-09-16 |df=dmy-all
}}
* {{cite AV media
 |medium=photos
 |title=Various communication masts & towers near Atlanta, Georgia
 |website=troyb.net
 |url=http://www.troyb.net/portfolio/towers.html
}}
* {{cite web
 |title=UK masts and towers
 |website=thebigtower.com
 |url=http://www.thebigtower.com/live/INDEX/Index.htm
}}
* {{cite web
 |title=Searchable map of all registered transmitters in Australia
 |website=maps.spench.net/rf
 |url=http://maps.spench.net/rf/
}}
{{refend}}

{{TBSW}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Radio masts and towers}}
[[Category:Radio masts and towers| ]]