[TVARC] Flagpole Toppled By Thunderstorm‘s Wind

[Anthony Hackenberg]

Hi Members of TVARC MailList,

Today’s (9/12/2020) thunderstorm, in The Villages, FL, took down my
flagpole antenna.  The gust front snapped the pole at the first joint
(about 4-5 feet above ground).  So, I am off-the-air and will be for some
time.

It’s ironic because I was just re-building the station after tearing it all
apart over a year ago for floor remodeling.  I was only a few steps away
from having the station working again.

Maybe metal fatigue was the primary culprit causing the flagpole’s demise.
A contributing factor may have been the *Valley Forge* “Dura-Flex” USA flag
that I recently purchased from Amazon.com.  I’ve used these before without
any problems but these were purchased locally, at the Flag Store, in Lady
Lake.  The current one from Amazon seemed to collect and hold water much
more than before.  This added a lot of weight to the flax during
rainstorms.  This one also began fraying (at it’s sewn seams) in less than
3 months of use (less than 50% days flown during this quarter).

73,

Tony/K4QR
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