Helicopter places new Fox 5 antenna atop Bethesda TV tower (Photos)

Many in the Westbard area of Bethesda were startled when a red and white helicopter suddenly descended to make a landing near the McDonald's on River Road around 8:20 AM yesterday morning. A few minutes later, it lifted off carrying a tall antenna, and ascended to a point above the 850' tall telecommunications tower at 5208 River Road behind McDonald's. After adding the antenna to the array atop the tower, it landed once more nearby, before departing due north.

The operation was actually supposed to take place a few weekends ago, but was delayed until yesterday. Fox 5 is the owner of the new antenna, which is being placed ahead of the TV station's move to 7272 Wisconsin Avenue later this year. Already, Fox 5 equipment is installed atop The Wilson, the new Class-A office tower at the Carr Properties development.

FAA records indicate the helicopter was a Sikorsky S-61 N owned by Construction Helicopters of Howell, Michigan. The TV tower is owned and operated by Crown Castle.

Fox 5 to upgrade structure below Bethesda TV tower to "protect from falling ice"

Project confirms reports of

falling ice near tower

WTTG Fox 5 plans to make three upgrades to its transmitter building below the telecommunications tower at 5208 River Road in Bethesda. One of the changes confirms reports of property owners in that industrial area that large shards of ice fall from the 809' tower during the winter months. The TV station will add steel grates to the roof of their building to protect "from falling ice off the adjacent tower."

This vindicates the question raised during the Westbard sector plan process, of whether such falling ice would pose a danger if that industrial area were converted to residential housing. That question was rendered temporarily moot when the Montgomery County Council delayed the rezoning of the industrial area, so that their developer sugar daddies could gain higher profits when a secretly-planned extension of the Purple Line to Westbard and Sumner is built in the future.

Fox 5 also plans to add bracing to their building roof for two additional satellite dishes, and a new railing around the edge of the building's roof. The station estimates the project's total cost to be $80,000. This isn't the only project planned for the tower. Montgomery County will be adding multiple new antennas, its own new building at the base of the tower, and a diesel generator for public safety radio communications.

Montgomery County to add 8 antennas, diesel generator to Bethesda TV tower

Montgomery County has proposed adding eight new antennas to the existing telecommunications tower located at 5202 River Road in Bethesda. They have also proposed adding a new diesel-powered generator and utility building below the tower, which is in close proximity to the Westwood Tower apartments on Westbard Avenue. The stated purpose of the new antennas and equipment is improvement of public safety radio communications.

Motorola Solutions document showing types
and placement of the proposed antennas on the
River Road TV tower

Documents submitted by the County and contractor Motorola Solutions state that six of the antennas will be "whip-style" antennas, and two will be dish antennas. However, Motorola's diagram shows a different mix of antennas: 5 whip antennas, 3 dish antennas, and 2 VHF antennas.

Site plan of proposed utility building and
diesel-powered generator at the base of the tower

The Motorola document shows the planned locations of the new antennas on the tower, which is owned by Pinnacle Towers, LLC. Montgomery County will pay Pinnacle $48000 a year to lease the required space on the tower, and on the ground for the utility building, generator, and necessary HVAC equipment.

Google Maps satellite photo showing proximity of
Westwood Tower apartments (left) to the proposed
diesel-powered generator (right)

Motorola's diagram shows the range of the antennas, which will be aimed at Grosvenor, Potomac, and Takoma Park. The County says the RF radiation emitted by the new antennas, which at high levels of exposure has been shown to rapidly heat biological tissue, will be within the FCC exposure limits. How loud the diesel-powered generator will be to residents of Westwood Tower and the Residences at the Capital Crescent Trail apartments - and beyond - is not addressed in the County's application.

Bethesda TV tower shenanigans continue

Less than three months after the sensible decision to go with traditional red aircraft warning lights, the Crown Castle telecommunications tower in Bethesda has now switched back to white. The white lights on the 850' tower in the 5200 block of River Road are currently at the correct illumination level, but have repeatedly malfunctioned and exceeded light pollution standards in the past. Several times, they've conked out altogether, for as long as six weeks.

Why switch back from the community-friendly red lights to white? I continue to be astonished at the cavalier attitude Crown Castle has regarding aircraft safety and community relations, when the company has pending cell tower approvals before Montgomery County.

As of last night, the smaller Crown Castle cell tower at the Kenwood Golf and Country Club continued to use a red warning light. Crown Castle should revert to the same quickly at its tower down the road. All similar towers in the District use red lights, and residents here deserve the same consideration.

Bethesda TV tower lights up after 6-week blackout

An 850' Crown Castle telecommunications tower in the 5200 block of River Road has operated for 6 weeks with no aircraft warning lights. The lights failed on Friday, September 9. White flashers installed on the tower in recent years had malfunctioned repeatedly, and went off entirely on three occasions in the last 22 months. Last night, the tower suddenly had warning lights again, this time the classic red flashers that are more appropriate for a residential area.

The unprecedented length of the outage suggests Crown Castle does not have adequate monitoring systems for failure of its warning lights, which is what I have suspected for several years now. With the company seeking to add small cell towers to utility poles and other mounts in residential areas, this should raise questions about their maintenance, monitoring and FCC compliance procedures.

On a positive note, I hope the red flashers are here to stay. A few weeks ago, a second Crown Castle tower on the grounds of the Kenwood Country Club reverted back to red lighting, as well.

Bethesda TV tower dark for second night

The Crown Castle telecommunications tower in the 5200 block of River Road in Bethesda remained blacked-out last night. This was the second straight night the aircraft warning lights on the 850' tower failed to operate, and the fourth night in the last 21 months.

While most planes would not fly that low near the tower, we do have a high amount of helicopter traffic in Bethesda, primarily related to the military. A Notice to Airmen is supposed to be issued by the FAA during a tower light outage.

Bethesda TV tower goes dark for 3rd time in 21 months

The Crown Castle telecommunications tower behind McDonald's in the 5200 block of River Road in Bethesda had no aircraft warning lights overnight. This is the third time since January 2015 that the tower has gone dark for a night; the tower had never gone dark for decades prior to this. Normally, this requires a Notice to Airmen to be issued by the Federal Aviation Administration, as the tower is 850' tall.

Crown Castle has had frequent problems with the lights on this tower. When they are on, one or more of the flashers have frequently operated at intensities that exceed light pollution regulations. The problems are apparently contagious. A cell tower operated by Crown Castle at the nearby Kenwood Golf and Country Club recently had its reliable red warning light replaced with one of these unreliable, cheap white flashing lights.

The record of Crown Castle makes one wonder how long it will be before that tower starts having light issues as well. Meanwhile, right over the border in the District, several TV towers continue to successfully use the standard red flashers. I've advised Crown Castle during numerous communications to reinstall the red lights, which never failed over several decades, and have never generated light pollution complaints.

Here we go again. Crown Castle has usually been responsive when I contact them, but it is clear that they have no intention of permanently solving these problems.

Bethesda TV tower had no aircraft warning lights last night

The Crown Castle-owned former TV tower on River Road, now serving other telecommunication purposes, had no operating aircraft warning lights last night through dawn this morning. Located behind McDonald's in the industrial area, the tower is 850' tall.

Lisa Minney of Crown Castle tells me the company is aware of the problem, and is working to resolve the issue. She said a Notice to Airmen was issued regarding the dark tower.

Bethesda TV tower violating light pollution rules again

Crown Castle, yet again, is failing to properly maintain and operate the aircraft warning lights on its 850' telecommunications tower in the 5200 block of River Road in Bethesda. Readers are familiar with the ongoing saga, as every few months, at least one of the white flashing lights malfunctions and exceeds federal light pollution standards. Of course, in January, there was a new twist altogether, when the FAA had to alert pilots after the tower went entirely dark.

This time, the malfunctioning light is facing neighborhoods along Massachusetts Avenue and River Road at firework intensity. A Green Acres resident contacted me on March 31, after her children were kept up all night by the light flashing into their bedrooms. She contacted Crown Castle, the FAA, FCC, and Montgomery County Councilmember Roger Berliner's office.

Surely that should cover it, right?

Wrong. I scouted around from different spots Sunday evening and found the light is still malfunctioning. The resident of Green Acres confirmed last night that the light is still affecting her neighborhood.

I'm going to contact Crown Castle again myself. Something has to be done about this. If Crown Castle will not properly maintain its tower lighting under federal regulations, it should be fined. I think most nearby residents would be satisfied if Crown Castle would simply switch to the foolproof red lights that every other tower in the nearby skyline uses!

THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT IN WESTBARD

Aircraft warning lights on
Crown Castle tower off River Road

The telecommunication tower in the 5200 block of River Road in Bethesda has been (again) in violation of light pollution standards for several weeks. This time around, it was the middle light that was going berserk, creating a firework burst effect that could be seen inside of nearby apartments and homes. Then, Wednesday evening, the tower lights were entirely dark, creating a serious hazard for low-flying aircraft. That's the first time I've ever seen that happen on this particular tower. It's potentially very serious, as the tower is a whopping 850' tall.

Thursday morning, I contacted the tower's owner, Crown Castle, and informed them of the two issues. When a tower goes dark, the operator is required to contact the Federal Aviation Administration, so that a "FAA Notice to Airmen" can be issued regarding the unseen obstacle.

I did get a response from Crown Castle, and as of last evening, the tower lights were back on. And they are at the proper illumination setting.

I have again urged Crown Castle to consider replacing the white flashers with the standard red bulbs every other broadcasting tower in the vicinity uses at night. That would solve the repeated episodes of bulbs going haywire. Based on my documentation of past incidents, this occurs about once or twice a year. My assumption is that the white flashers are cheaper, but if you have some knowledge of the industry and can give a better explanation, I am sure readers would appreciate you leaving a comment below.

We'll see how long the compliant lights remain so this time, but I do appreciate Crown Castle's prompt response to the matter.

For those interested, the tower no longer is used for TV broadcast signals. It does transmit the radio signals for Hot 99.5 FM and 94.7 Fresh FM, and serves as a cell tower. There are also several satellite dishes at the base of the tower. The tower's height and location have made it very much in-demand even after broadcast TV was cut off by the federal government. Other than the recurring lighting issue, the tower has been a "good neighbor" over many decades, providing more services than many residents may even realize, as they use a variety of devices.

BETHESDA TV TOWER LIGHTS GOING HAYWIRE...AGAIN!

There you go again, Crown Castle. Their Bethesda broadcast tower on River Road has had ongoing issues with the harsh, white flashing lights somehow getting amped up to exceed light pollution standards. It has happened several times over the last few years, and twice in the last month.

The recent two incidents were short-lived, about 1-2 days. But now the lowest light on the tower (the one that seems to have the most issues) is at it again, appearing as an explosive firework that flashes brightly off of buildings located many blocks away from the tower site.

I hope that they will address the issue as soon as possible, as it greatly affects residents who have windows facing that way, as well as the intrusion of the firework-intensity light pollution on outdoor activities.

However, the constant problems - and having to write, and then call, if writing about it here doesn't work - are growing tiresome. I have heard from nearby residents who are tired of it, as well.

If this keeps up, a complaint will have to be filed with the FCC for violation of light pollution standards. Ultimately, the question continues to be, why can this tower not have the effective red lights that virtually every other TV tower in the DC area has at night? Red lights can't generate this kind of pollution, and would therefore solve the whole problem.

RIVER ROAD TV TOWER LIGHT FIXED?

That out of control light on the Crown Castle TV tower on River Road appeared to be behaving itself again last night. The bulb had returned to the dull, soft flash it is supposed to be set at. I'll continue to monitor the situation. Hopefully resident complaints were heard by Crown Castle.

The Bethesda tower no longer broadcasts analog television, but continues to emit radio and cellphone signals, among other transmissions.

RIVER ROAD TV TOWER EXCEEDING LIGHT POLLUTION REGULATIONS AGAIN IN BETHESDA

The lowest flashing bulb on the TV tower behind McDonald's on River Road is going crazy again. It's been 48 hours now. This happened last year, and went on for weeks. Finally, I called the tower's owner, Crown Castle. They promised to fix it, and within a couple of weeks, it was corrected. And that was actually the second malfunction, since the tower converted from red to white lights years ago.

Now it's happening again. I received a complaint a number of days ago via comment from a reader; however, when I checked at that time, it did not seem to be malfunctioning. Perhaps it depends which direction you are standing in relation to the tower. But it's going nuts for sure now, and once again, it simply exceeds any reasonable light pollution limits.

I'll have to call them again, apparently. This is ridiculous. They need to make a permanent fix - or better yet, join the other 90% of towers in America, and use the red lights that don't have this problem (the River Road tower uses white flashing lights). Red lights are the industry standard. Does anyone know what federal entity regulates lights on broadcast towers?

This is how the bulbs are
supposed to look at night

BETHESDA TV TOWER LIGHTING ADJUSTED AFTER CITIZEN COMPLAINTS (PHOTO)

I promised to keep you updated on the River Road TV tower lighting problem in Bethesda. 

Yesterday, the tower's owner, Crown Castle, had technicians adjust the lighting. I checked it out after the sun went down, and the lighting is vastly improved. Red tower lights still would be preferable in a highly-populated area, and that is what virtually every other area tower has. But as far as white lights go, the intensity of that bottom bulb has been reduced from a firework-style burst, to a flashing bulb again.

The biggest issue was for those living on upper floors in nearby apartment buildings. But the light could also be seen reflecting off objects blocks away.

As I mentioned over a month ago, this happened before, and was fixed within 2 days.

This time, it kept going on. While I heard complaints about it, I don't know if anyone actually called.

Two weeks ago, I finally placed a call to Crown Castle myself. An operator at the company's 24-hour hotline, Jeff, took my complaint. I have to say, the "customer service" is very good at Crown Castle, and he immediately said they would send out a crew to investigate the light pollution issue.

I expected it would take some time, as it was not an emergency situation, and somebody actually has to climb up there unless it is simply a control panel adjustment.

In any case, they came out yesterday, and set the lighting back to normal. So I have to commend Crown Castle for taking the concerns of the community seriously, once it was brought to their attention.

Here is a photo of the lights last night. Below the tower, you can see the signs for the Westbard Giant and Bowlmor bowling alley.  The tower itself is located on River Road, behind the McDonald's.

RIVER ROAD TV TOWER LIGHT GOING CRAZY AGAIN IN BETHESDA

I've heard from a number of residents who live near the old Channel 20 broadcast tower on River Road, regarding the third light going bonkers at night.

I'd actually already noticed it, but it doesn't seem like it's going to change unless somebody says something. It flashes off nearby structures, and the intensity is in violation of light pollution regulations.

This isn't the first time, and it was even worse last time.

On Monday, June 7, 2010, all three of the tower's warning lights were replaced with these new white flashing light assemblies. When night fell that evening, it was clear that workers had either left the lights on too high of a setting, or had failed to install shielding on them.

What transpired was a cross between a laser show and a fireworks display. That goes on all night. As obnoxious as it was in nearby neighborhoods, imagine being in one of the top floor apartments next to the tower.

Obviously, I heard from people at that time, too.

When it went on a second night, I wrote about it on my blog on Wednesday, June 9.

By nightfall, the lights had been toned down to their normal illumination.

I don't know if pointing it out publicly will bring it to their attention again. I think it could have been an honest mistake both times, because, obviously, the bulbs get changed in daylight, and the problem is only apparent at night.

But it is a problem, and I will start making some calls if it doesn't get fixed soon.

I actually like this tower, and grew up around it. As a child, before I knew the layout of all the surrounding neighborhoods, I used to use the tower as a North Star of sorts when out exploring.

The tower is 850' tall, and is owned by Crown Castle. It used to broadcast several TV station signals; the building at its base is the former home of WDCA Channel 20.

There is no broadcast television anymore. Hence, TV is no longer broadcast via this tower in the traditional sense.  It does broadcast radio (Hot 99.5, 94.7 Fresh FM), and cellphone signals.  There are satellite dishes around the base, and a variety of miscellaneous broadcast equipment around it.

Last year, quite extensive work was done on the tower, and a different antenna array was installed at its highest point.

I'll keep you updated on this story, of course, and keep those reader tips and gossip coming in!