Mystery Unraveled: A Stealthy Operation of Copper Theft Unveiled
In the heart of a capital city, a metropolitan radio station faced an unusual predicament in the 1970s. The station's 1 kW AM transmitter was plagued by a problem, with all the copper ground radials mysteriously stolen from the rooftop.
The transmitter was located in the basement of a multi-story office building on the city square. The rooftop, approximately 50 feet from the self-supporting tower base and the Antenna Tuning Unit (ATU), was the scene of the crime. However, the only visible remnant of the grounding system was a 6-inch copper strap running down the side of the building, hinting at the extent of the theft.
Reaching the rooftop was no easy feat. The author and their guide had to navigate through an old cage elevator, open trap doors in the elevator roof and control room, and bravely face total darkness as the guide forgot to bring a flashlight. The gravel roof coating was disrupted where the radial ground wires had formerly been located, further evidence of the theft.
Investigating the ATU on the rooftop was suggested, but faced resistance due to the difficulty in accessing it. The ATU was located in the middle of the building roof, and the outside door led to the rooftop. The author encountered clacking relays in the elevator control room as the building's systems were operating, adding to the intrigue.
The police were notified of the theft, but the culprits were never identified or brought to justice. This incident shares similarities with recent cases of copper theft affecting even EV charging stations, highlighting the ongoing issue of metal theft, particularly copper.
Despite extensive research, no direct historical case fitting this specific description was found. However, general knowledge suggests that copper theft from rooftops with limited access often involves exploiting hidden or overlooked access points. Thieves might access the rooftop through the elevator shaft by climbing internally or using the shaft as a vertical passage, bypassing safety mechanisms or during maintenance outages. Alternatively, they might have used the elevator shaft as an insertion or extraction point for equipment needed to pry or cut copper.
The problem was not resolved through tuning or any other conventional methods. New copper was ordered to replace the stolen ones, but the mystery of who stole the copper and why remains unsolved.
- Despite the difficulties, the Author considered inspecting the Antenna Tuning Unit (ATU) on the rooftop, seeking clues that might be related to the theft, given that similar cases of copper theft have been linked to exploiting hidden access points in buildings.
- To address the theft, the radio station installed new gadgets, including advanced radio technology, to reinforce their grounding system and secure the transmitter on the rooftop, taking preventive measures to minimize future incidents of copper theft.
