Putney Study Plot Tower Gets Makeover

Although still sound, the Putney Study Plot mast’s guywires were installed in 1972 and approaching 35 years of age.  The time had come in the summer of 2007 to replace them.

Working from the mid-level of the mast upward, six new ¼” wire rope guywires were installed to the mast while leaving the existing guywires in place. The switch was made to the new guywires after the crew had descended to the ground.

The original guywire stakes were re-used but new turnbuckles were installed, and lock nuts were installed to prevent vibration-induced loosening of the turnbuckles.  A second, redundant ‘tether’ was installed to the turnbuckle that would also prevent the turnbuckle from fully loosening in the event that the locknuts weren’t effective.  Finally, a ‘stop’ was clamped to the anchor stakes to prevent the shackles to which the turnbuckles were attached from slipping up and off the stake, and the shackles were wired to prevent loosening.  With 107 mph gusts during the winter of 2007/2008, redundancy and ‘overkill’ are worthwhile precautions!

With the new rigging in place, the mast was then outfitted with a new 20 watt solar panel and an enhanced battery bank to enable hourly data collection without drawing down the station’s power reserves.  The larger solar panel near the base of the mast is providing power to a precision GPS station located at Putney.  We are most grateful to the landowner of the Putney Study Plot site, Tronox, LLC, for the generous permission to utilize the site for these installations.  And, as at the St. Paul Base Station, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center contributed the new batteries used in this power supply upgrade at Putney.  The “free air” wind data from the Putney Study Plot are utilized by the CAIC in their Highway 550 avalanche reduction program, and to inform their avalanche danger ratings for backcountry recreationists in the Red Mountain Pass vicinity.