What’s this monopole stuff anyhow? Staff writer Olivia Damavandi, of The Malibu Times tells us that neighbors near the new fire station 56 are “irked” and claim the station’s monopole antenna is blocking their ocean view. Never mind that it’s only about a foot in diameter and the only thing behind it is a sagebrush-infested hill as the Times photo shows. Maybe complaining bush people live there. I have a power pole between my front deck and my ocean view. It’s about a 100 yards away and I have determined that the best way to view the ocean is not to stare at the pole but divert my eyes slightly left or right. Now I see a patch of ocean and since all ocean patches look the same, mission accomplished and it’s time to adjourn to the bar.
The monopole’s wicked looking whip antennas make it resemble a devil’s pitchfork and being near the fire station I’m sure there’s fire and brimstone frothing nearby. Some folks in Malibu, being an artsy/craftsy community, are wary of anything that smacks of technology. Not to worry, monopoles don’t bite, not even the ugly ones. It’s strange that there’s no complaints about the flag pole or light standard next to the station.
It’s too bad that they caved and the height was reduced from 95 feet to 75 feet because that will reduce the signal range which we need due to Malibu’s terrain and communication with the relay station at Point Mugu. The monopole needs to be as close to the station’s radios as possible to reduce transmission line loss, which results in increased intensity of the monopole’s radiation.
Jack Singleton