Big balls on power lines

chem

Have seen large red and white balls, attached to the lines of power lines and just wonder what there use is?

They are not on all lines and only seem to be, on small lenghts between pylons.

Anyone any ideas?

fred funk }{

I think they're there so helicopters following cars can see the lines.

yoyo

I used to call em pokemon balls , actually i think its to stop the lines bashing off each other in the wind, so they avoid contact, well thats what I was told anyways :P

Nick

FunkZ

They're there to remind you just how big your balls should really be.

!

truecrippler

Some balls are held for charity
And some for fancy dress
But when they're held for pleasure
They're the balls that I like best

Pataman

I was told they are to stop swans, which fly following the roads, crashing into the power lines.
I bet someone clever will come on here and give the right answer, and I will be made look the fool again. Damn the internet.

thelordofcheese

They are for low flying aircraft (mostly choppers) who may be following the roads for whatever reason so they know where power lines are are and don't just fly into them.


because that'd be bad.

FunkZ

They're English spys sent to make sure we don't make a decent attempt at speaking Gaelige.

Karoma

They're a gift from an alien race, to give us something else to discuss other than the weather.
...or to stop low flying aircraft, people, and pigs from crashing into them and going ZZZzzzzZZZap.

Joe Cool

Pataman wrote: »

I was told they are to stop swans, which fly following the roads, crashing into the power lines.
I bet someone clever will come on here and give the right answer, and I will be made look the fool again. Damn the internet.

Yep, heard that too. Think it was on the Ray D'Arcy show. Swans are the only bird over here that are big enough to connect to two of the wires which can cause some power supply issues and fry the bird.

Andrewf20

I think they are balls for power lines.

Bogger77

Joe Cool wrote: »

Yep, heard that too. Think it was on the Ray D'Arcy show. Swans are the only bird over here that are big enough to connect to two of the wires which can cause some power supply issues and fry the bird.

Would want to be the biggest swan ever seen.
The gap between the opposite charge cables on the High Voltage transmission network, is at least 10 feet.

They're simply markers to allow choppers/light aircraft which do usually follow roads for navigation to see the lines.
Some, are fitted with flashing beacons, although not sure if it's in use in Ireland.

Zzippy

As some people have said, they are markers to stop light aircraft/helicopters crashing into the lines. They also contain/are made of metal, so they show up on radar of aircraft flying in the dark.

Joe Cool

Bogger77 wrote: »

Would want to be the biggest swan ever seen.
The gap between the opposite charge cables on the High Voltage transmission network, is at least 10 feet.

They're simply markers to allow choppers/light aircraft which do usually follow roads for navigation to see the lines.
Some, are fitted with flashing beacons, although not sure if it's in use in Ireland.

I dunno, examples in the links below:

http://www.jhwildlife.org/powerline.php

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4361079.stm

http://hollowhappenings.blogspot.com/2006/12/and-now.html

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

biko

Planes, birds and choppers apparently by google
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/wildlifeprotection/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewArticle&articleID=90

Bogger77

Joe Cool wrote: »

I dunno, examples in the links below:

http://www.jhwildlife.org/powerline.php

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4361079.stm

http://hollowhappenings.blogspot.com/2006/12/and-now.html

they're all cases of low voltage lines, the type connecting villages/housing estates to the "mains".
High voltage network connects Cities/Towns/Industrial users (Auginish, etc) to the power stations. It's the arteries, if you like, of the National Grid, voltage is 400kV , where as the lower voltage lines are the capilaries, with voltages ranging from 240V to 38KV.
With higher voltages, the possibility of arcing, where the lines short out to each other or to the steel pylon means glass insulators are used to hang the cable from the tower, and there's a large gap to the opposing charged cable, and the tower upright.

Fringe

It means there's a crack dealer somewhere nearby.

kowloon

truecrippler wrote: »

Some balls are held for charity
And some for fancy dress
But when they're held for pleasure
They're the balls that I like best

My balls are always bouncing to the left and to the right,
It's my belief that my big balls should be held every night.

lost marbles

well heres the real story
when they were building the m50 the planners in the NRA all sitting around their desks when someone asked "what about the power lines across the proposed new motorway "(yeh motorway):D .
"what powerlines" "oh those powerlines "
"ah hang your balls from them "
now theres an idea for making use of those e voting machines

genie_us

i remember asking my dad this when i was a kid and he told me that some young fellas were playing football and the balls got stuck up there ha ha

I believed that for years