What's This On The Power Pole?

[Argonne]

Today I'm out working on my gate opener by the road, enjoying the balmy 108 deg F weather, and I look up and see this new radome looking "thingy" up on the pole. That pole is carrying, what I assume to be, 3 phase 13kv power along the state highway. That tapper on the left phase is the one that feeds my property, but it's hundreds of feet to the nearest step-down transformer, so if that thing, whatever it is, is powered, it must be running on 13kv or solar or inductive coupling.

It doesn't matter what it is, but it has me curious. It must belong to the power company (TNMP) because it's up a their pole level, and for sure no-one else would want to be servicing that thing.

Collectively, we at TBN know everything worth knowing, so lead me, what the heck is that thing, and how is it powered?

 

[Fuddy1952]

Why not call the power company and ask? I'm curious too. All I can do is guess, with 13kV it could be powered by induction. Let us know.

 

[Argonne]

My best guess it that it's a repeater for "smart meters", but if so, the power source will be interesting.

 

[Ken]

Why not call the power company and ask? I'm curious too. All I can do is guess, with 13kV it could be powered by induction. Let us know.

Could be a 13..8kv Lightening device the lower end of the protector wired to this bell shaped ground . like a over sized spark plug.

ken

 

[IchabodCrayne]

It's likely gps or cell signal to indicate to the power company that fuse link on that pole has blown.

 

[JerryK]

It's pygmy space aliens stopping to refill their ship, sucking energy off the power grid. Or a bell mounted for the local squirrels to ring, motivation to keep them in shape climbing up and announcing to the world their prowess...

 

[mercdv]

I'm not sure what it is but I wonder if it is some sort of inductive monitoring device. I heard they were rolling that stuff out now as part of the smart grid for monitoring fuse status, lightning arresters, and capacitor banks for faster diagnostics when there are outages. I really do not have a clue what it really is but just throwing it out there.

 

[Rustyiron]

My best guess it that it's a repeater for "smart meters", but if so, the power source will be interesting.

That's what I was thinking also, provided your elec. Co. uses "smart meters".

 

[goeduck]

It is pallet tracking device.

 

[Einthewoods]

That is a house for the Southwestern bug-bat. The power lines attract certain critters native to the southwest that will over time deteriorate the infrastructure. So, they are promoting the the bug-bat that targets eating the critters. They look like normal bats, but just miniature. Pretty cool for you to have one, fairly rare.

 

[jaxs]

I don't know either but if you stake me for a trip to Grant and a Super Catch from Catfish King,I'll come check it out then make something up.:wave:

 

[hosspuller]

If it's connected to the power line and ground, it's a lightning arrestor. See lower right of pic

 

[oosik]

Looks like some form of solar collector. But what would it be collecting power for. Its up there where nobody would mess with it.

If its a repeater for "smart meters" its a WHOLE LOT LESS EQUIPMENT than the repeater they had to put at my place. So when the power company comes out with half a dozen trucks and eight guys to "survey" the situation and determine if I really need a repeater - not a one of their cell phones had even one bar of service. That's AT&T, Verizon, Sprint etc, etc.

Thank goodness the Co-Op pays for the repeater equipment. Its two water tight boxes - one almost the size of an apple box and the second about half that size.

As I remember the Co-Op lineman said about $2700 worth of repeater equipment. I'm gonna have to live out here another 250 years for that to break even.

For all the 36+ years out here I've reported my monthly meter reading to the utility Co-Op. I told them they could save a lot of money - reduce my electric bill $5 a month and I will continue to send a monthly email. I don't miss stomping out in the winter thru knee deep snow just to read that d a m n meter. For a long time I thought of putting a small "porthole" window on that side of the house so I could read the meter with field glasses.

 

[goeduck]

That is a house for the Southwestern bug-bat.

 

[Argonne]

I don't know either but if you stake me for a trip to Grant and a Super Catch from Catfish King,I'll come check it out then make something up.:wave:

LOL, I live in the wrong place for not liking Catfish, eliminated the best restaurant in town right out of the box.

 

[Einthewoods]

View attachment 563710

Hey, you found it! LOL :laughing:

 

[Argonne]

For all the 36+ years out here I've reported my monthly meter reading to the utility Co-Op.

I so wish I was with the co-op out here. My neighbors pay less than half of what I do for electricity. If I spent $12k I could get a line here, but I'll probably be dead before it pays off.

 

[Argonne]

I'm not sure what it is but I wonder if it is some sort of inductive monitoring device. I heard they were rolling that stuff out now as part of the smart grid for monitoring fuse status, lightning arresters, and capacitor banks for faster diagnostics when there are outages. I really do not have a clue what it really is but just throwing it out there.

Yea, some sort of grid monitoring system powered by a Rogowski device is what I'm leaning toward so far, although I'm really enjoying some of the answers. I was actually enticed into researching Southwestern Bug Bats for a minute or so.

 

[Einthewoods]

Yea, some sort of grid monitoring system powered by a Rogowski device is what I'm leaning toward so far, although I'm really enjoying some of the answers. I was actually enticed into researching Southwestern Bug Bats for a minute or so.

LOL. Sorry. :laughing:

 

[JerryK]

There is a tap on the left most phase. From there the wire goes down to the vertical devise which is the knife switch/fuse [ poor picture ]. The fuse opens up and the vertical insulator fluting helps break the arc during failure. The line goes from the base of this fused device down to the bell shaped insulator. Bell could be metal/some type of lighting drain device, or it could be just an insulator. But if it was and insulator, it would normally look like the one lower down the pole that the ground line comes off on. The users 7000 volt power line goes off to the left from there. The lower line on the pole is the ground, and the users ground goes off to the left from there.