Despite seeing the Sentech tower everyday as part of the opening sequence on the SABC's TV news broadcasts, I've never really given it much thought. That's why I regarded the invitation to tour the facility as a routine story opportunity and nothing more.
But standing on the outside of the boardroom of the 237-metre-high building, I couldn't help but admire the skill and ingenuity it took to construct a building that required 7 000 tons of concrete, 300 tons of reinforcing and can withstand gusts of up to 200km/h. I was also curious about the labourers who constructed the exponentially curved structure that is said to "move" half a metre each way when it's windy. The tower is the point of transmission for 17 FM stations, six TV transmissions, one digital TV transmission and one digital audio broadcast in SA.
The first part of the tour was easy. Going up the stairs gave the same feeling as if you're in a regular building. We viewed the transmitters, combiner and feeder cable. I was very interested in the audio processors, which radio stations use to customise their sound to differentiate themselves from the competition.
But the second part, where we climbed a series of stairs up to the black, imposing mast that takes the transmission up to the antennae was more challenging. Did I mention that I don't like small dark spaces and heights?
Rationally I knew there was no danger, so the fear was easily managed. I did however draw the line as we stood outside the conference room, getting a good look at the city view at a little over 176 metres from the ground.
Unlike the PR agency photographer, who leaned over the guardrails to better capture the city from different angles, my legs started getting shaky and the words "jump, jump" went through my head with disturbing regularity.
I'm not suicidal or anything, so I reckoned it was time I wobbled back to the boardroom while everyone was still absorbed with the view. Had a feeling if I didn't move fast, I was going to start screaming for someone to carry me down and that would have been so undignified.
The tower is rich in history, as the first pilot for TV broadcasting was conducted there in 1975.
Damaria Senne, senior writer, ITWeb
The trip was worth it though. The tower is rich in history, as the first pilot for TV broadcasting was conducted there in 1975. It is also the site of the first digital terrestrial TV transmitter in Africa and was the host of the first global summit of the UMTS-TDD Alliance in 2004, which was launched to accelerate UMTDS-TDD as a leading standard for delivering wireless broadband and other high-speed packet services.
The tower is also an aggregation site for Sentech's MyWireless, which was recently rated by Johannesburg University's broadband laboratory as the most reliable wireless broadband solution in SA.
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