The crews at Fuellgraf keep climbing long after others have stopped. Providing lighting solutions for tall towers means they are usually working above the 500 foot level and take it all the way up to 2,100 feet, if need be. Broadcasters make up the bulk of Fuellgraf’s clientele for obstruction lighting and have for the past 30 years. Now is a particularly good time to be servicing the broadcast industry. The auction-induced repack just getting underway bodes well for the future as broadcasters, potentially flush with money, can afford to upgrade their property with longer lasting LED lights.
Fuellgraf’s Vice President, Jason Jennett, noted “Although the warranty is for five years, the life expectancy is ten-to-twelve. Since the LED lights last longer, the tower owner saves money while lowering the liability risk of frequent activity on the site,” he added. “It should pay for itself on that alone.”
While the equipment is reliable and predictable, the installation jobs themselves are not. “When you’re dealing with variable winds on an 1,800 foot tower in rural Oklahoma, or a dense crowded area in D.C.,” Jennett said, “Mother Nature makes every situation unique.” With the broadcasters who need to stay on the air in daytime hours, night-climbing is a little more frequent which can add to the level of difficulty. Jennett stated they are fortunate to have their own crews where nine out of ten have a decade or more experience and that training extends to electrical as well as telecom. “Our crews are safety conscious and our company is proactive about safety,” he said. “We have JHA procedures that are followed daily, weekly tool box meetings, annual OSHA 10/30 compliance and multiple site and equipment safety training.”
Fuellgraf has offices in Prospect, PA and Franklin, KY servicing the entire U.S. They carry a wide range of service products in addition to LED Aviation Obstruction Lighting: Lightning Protection Systems, power distribution, general lighting and receptacles, null balance ground testing, antennas, antenna accessories, antenna lines, etc. They also provide LED obstruction lighting kits for towers 50’-2,100’.
BKON is another lighting solutions company owned by Fuellgraf providing Lighting Kits & Accessories for all FAA Configurations for Cellular, 2-Way Communication, Meteorological, High Tension, and TV/Radio Broadband Towers. “The BKON Controller systems make the lights do what they’re supposed to do,” said Jennett. In addition we can make completely customized controllers without keeping the customer waiting for weeks! Typically we can have your customized controller out before most companies put together a design,”
To see more of Fuellgraf and BKON products and solutions go to: http://www.chimneytower.com/ and http://www.bkonled.com.
April 21, 2017
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