Position stabilization of a guyed antenna tower

Accurately maintaining the position of a communications antenna under environmental loadings, such as that due to wind, can affect the performance of the antenna. This paper describes work that examines the feasibility of using actively controlled guy wires to maintain the position of an antenna tower under wind loading. The study examines the position control of a laboratory scale model antenna under variable wind loading conditions. Two independent active guy wires and passive guy wires control the antenna position. The active guy wires use geared-down stepper motors as actuators. Feedback signals are provided with fiber optic and foil strain gages. The performance of various control algorithms is assessed. The possibility of scaling up the system for use on full-scale systems is discussed.