Vertical Profile Antenna System for AM Radio Stations

VP9000 in Issaquah, Washington

VP9000 goes to Washington, hiding in the most obvious of places: the Washington Monument. Disguised in "National Park Service brown," it is difficult to see, unless you walk right up to it. From its obvious yet obscure location, without disturbing its surroundings, VP9000 transmits information about all the monuments and historic places on the Mall. See the National Mall's news release.

Fort Bend County, Texas, installed 10 synchronized ALERT AM stations with VP9000 antenna systems. See a case study.

An "isolated-style" VP9000 system installation at Castle Country Energy Loop on the Huntington Eccles Byway in Utah.

Optional for the ISS Radio SystemS, Linked at the Bottom of this Page

When space is at a premium, outdoor equipment is unattended and you want an attractive way to install your AM antenna, the Vertical Profile Antenna System (VP9000) offers the solution. Place the VP9000 System in the yard area adjacent to a building or outdoor cabinet where the ALERT AM radio equipment is located. The Vertical Profile Antenna System is designed to withstand hurricane wind speeds encountered on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.

The Vertical Profile Antenna System is comprised of an attractive painted aluminum antenna support pole and antenna grounding system, all in one. The antenna lightning arrestor and all cable are inside the pole, accessible through a service hatch. There is nothing on the surface of the support pole to encourage vandalism.

Advantages: Minimal ground disturbance (less than one square foot, horizontal; six-foot depth, vertical). No additional antenna groundplane or rod are required; therefore, it is an easy antenna system to move.

This antenna system is recommended for high visibility areas and features low vandalism potential and low installation cost. The support pole with the 1400-1700 kHz antenna meets and exceeds Florida's hurricane-force wind specifications (see "Specifications" below).

Installation Requirements: Placement of the Vertical Profile Antenna is typically within 50 feet of a building (but may be at a greater distance, if the design requires) in grass, dirt or paved areas. Vehicles may be parked next to the system; however, the support pole should be guarded from vehicle damage. No objects taller than 25 feet should be within 50 feet. Coaxial cable to the support pole may be buried or installed overhead. The pole is set in a 6-foot post hole with good earth contact in the lowest 4 feet of the hole. (When used on AM frequencies below 1000 kHz, a 20-foot solid ground rod is driven beside the pole.) Concrete, asphalt or tamped dirt may surround the pole within 2 feet of the surface.

The Vertical Profile Antenna System is engineered to and compliant with ANSI/TIA-222-G-2005 (Class III, Category 4, Exposure D) standard. This means it is rated to perform in worst-case environments, such as, unobstructed shorelines in hurricane-prone areas and atop ridges in terrain where wind speeds can achieve great force. Additionally, it is rated for essential communications in critical areas where failure of a structure could damage buildings or present a hazard to life. To achieve these designations, the VP9000 has to be able to sustain 130 mph/3-second gust winds without failure. The Vertical Profile Antenna System is compliant with ANSI/TIA -222-G-2005 standard for frequencies 1400-1700 kHz when installed in soil types per Annex F of the standard.

In a separate study, when used with AM frequencies 1400-1700 kHz, VP9000 is rated to meet increased coastal hurricane wind-speed requirements (150 mph in a 3-second gust) for South Florida and other coastal areas.

In 2006, ISS was awarded a patent for the all-in-one, integrated VP9000 antenna design (US Patent 7,027,008).

ADVANTAGES OVER CONVENTIONAL BURIED-RADIAL GROUNDPLANES WITH WOOD POLE-MOUNTED ANTENNAS

Simple one-piece design.

Requires little disruption to sites (only 1 square foot).

Buried copper element is less likely to be stolen.

More attractive than standard wood-pole antenna supports.

Hurricane wind rated (130 MPH, 3-second gusts) for all frequencies. Meets most stringent Florida coastal standards (150 MPH, 3-second gusts) with 1400-1700 kHz frequencies. Support pole with antenna is ANSI/TIA-22-G-2005 compliant (Class III, Category 4, Exposure D) for 130 MPH/3-second gust for 1400-1700 kHz.

Pole does not burn in wildfires.

Moderate overall cost (hardware plus installation labor) as buried-radial groundplane antenna.

More simple to move if ever required than other grounding methods.

Specifications

Space requirement: less than 1 square foot.

RF grounding element: 4-foot length; integral to support pole.

Lightning ground: 8-foot groundrod, copper clad.

Support pole composition: aluminum, 6-inch OD, .3125-inch wall thickness.

Support pole length: 24 feet.

Support pole finish: powder coat, silver/gray.

Support standing height: 18 feet above grade; 6 feet below grade.

Wind: hurricane rated. 1400-1700 kHz, support pole exceeds Florida Dade/Broward County wind load requirements with attached antenna, greater than 146 MPH/3-second gusts. 530-1390 kHz, support pole meets and exceeds Florida wind load requirements with attached antenna, 130 MPH/3-second gusts. (Florida Building Code – 2001

Internal components: RF lightning arrestor, grounding bus, coaxial feedline.

External components: threaded attachment for antenna mount, weatherproof service hatch with tamperproof hardware. Crane hook.

Frequencies: 530-1700 kHz.

Compliant with ANSI/TIA-222-G-2005 standard (Class III, Category 4, Exposure D) 130 mph/3-second gust for frequencies 1400-1700 kHz when installed in soil types per Annex F of the standard.

Related Links

ALERT AM Emergency Advisory Radio System main webpage.

Information Station Classic & MP3 Edition main webpage.

ITS6000 Highway Advisory Radio Systems main webpage.

RadioSTAT Advisory Radio Station main webpage.

This page was last updated on July 26, 2010.