The building is set into place.

Prior to pouring the concrete, our engineering team ran a 4" copper strap under ground to bring up over the lip of the tower base. This provided a deep grounding system for electrical safety, along with an ERI Mag Rod for extra protection.

The main tower stands at approximately 1,050', with a pair of giant plates with 2" thick solid steel meeting near the apex. The final 100' or so comprise the ERI Lambda mounting section, a free-standing segment with a 3' sway in either direction for wind resistance. Giant bolts connect tower lights and a 10-bay ERI antenna to the Lambda mounting surface.

The ERI SHPX antenna is a 10-bay design, providing plenty of gain to hit a 100kW ERP without requiring larger transmitters. The Lambda section can be rotated, which allowed us to point the antenna in the direction that best matched our desired output pattern. The bottom bay of the antenna sits at approximately 1,040' to maintain a consistent output pattern and distance. Radomes were added to the antenna to prevent ice accumulation.

Local considerations

Eastern Wyoming is in the middle of a construction boom, and finding a contractor to build a new transmitter facility in a remote location proved impossible. We contracted with Thermo Bond of Elk Point, SD, to deliver a pre-built, customized building to house the transmitters.

Following approval of the design, the shelter arrived fully assembled with lights, electrical layouts, grounding systems and HVAC ventilation, among other attributes. Thermo Bond shipped the building by truck from South Dakota, and it was lifted off the truck using a crane and set on the concrete pad. The building was pre-inspected and included all the required electrical drops for the Harris HT30 transmitters, which simplified installation. A quarter-inch steel plate was also added to the roof for ice protection, and electrical was run into the building off the nearby three-phase transformer.

The Thermo Bond building was prewired and ready for equipment.