[SBE] Theft of copper radials

[Cowboy]

On Tuesday 19 February 2008 08:12 am, strask at star94.com wrote:


>  We are going to experiment with some concrete and a golf hole digger,

>  the one they use to cut new holes on a green, under random radials and

>  fill the hole with cement.  We are hoping it may slow them down as they

>  would have to pop these out of the ground to get the radials.


 The problem isn't the copper, really.
 The problem is the replacement and repair costs, combined with the
 disruption to the broadcast business.

 We can talk about using steel, and other worth-less materials, but the
 thieves work cheap, and at great risk to life and liberty. "Value" has
 an entirely different meaning to them, than to us.

 There are ways to make it less attractive, but we need to make it completely
 unattractive in order to stop this.
 About the ONLY way to do that, is to make it SO difficult to remove that the
 thieves decide it's more cost effective to spend their time elsewhere.
 Personally, I favor shoot-to-kill armed guards, and junk yard dogs, but
 protecting your property is illegal in many parts of this country, so some
 other way is needed. 
 Painting and tarring will make it less attractive to the scrapper, but the thief
 won't know that until after the damage is done. Meantime, the thief won't
 care.

 The cement plugs are a good start, and in the direction I'm thinking.
 I'm thinking as one of those guys who plows in radials, lays and bonds
 straps and screens, tunes ATU's and such.
 If we encase the copper not in something that simply marks it, as the 
 thieves won't care, but something that makes it extremely difficult to 
 remove.
 Paving the entire radial field is one thought, but not really practical.
 Dry-sacking the entire radial with an inch or so of concrete should both
 make the copper exceedingly difficult to remove, and not worth much
 if they still do, and not be all THAT difficult to do as they are plowed in.
 Take longer, yes. Much more work initially, yes. Cost more initially, yes.
 Low maintenance one-time solution, perhaps. Maybe.

 As long as our society produces the kinds of crack-heads who will
 kill you for thirteen dollars, we need to stop thinking like a practical
 engineer, and think like a wacked out worthless scum of the earth
 piece of $41T, and consider what THEY value. Money has time value
 even to them. Make it cost time and effort. Nothing else will really work.
 We've even heard of these freaks getting killed while stealing wire
 form hot power distribution substations. Clearly, harm and their own life
 is worth less to them than the $31 worth of scrap the might get if
 they don't die.

 They have nothing but time, and nothing to live for.
 Start thinking about what will stop them.
 I'm betting paint won't do it, and for the same reasons that gun control
 laws merely disarm the victims protecting nobody. Laws and rules
 merely keep honest people honest. Honest law abiding citizens
 are not our problem. Laws, signs, and rules will not help.
 I like Clay's Jacobs ladder idea, but the substations suggest that won't
 really work either.

-- 
Cowboy

http://cowboys.homeip.net

Do not wear a T-shirt that says "I'm with stupid" when you are by yourself.
If you do, then I guess that's right !