What happened to the Antenna on top of the Twin Towers?

Discussing the Twin Towers

[tbc]

It’s gut wrenching 22 years later knowing these buildings aren’t there. That scene in Home Alone 2 where Kevin goes to the top makes me misty eyed.

[andydelle]

I'm a broadcast engineer who started my career in the NYC area in the early 1980s. One reason no antenna was placed on the south tower was interference with the north tower antenna. Remember that both towers swayed up to two feet. IIRC. even in mild winds. This was enough to move the antennas in such a way where the emitted radio frequencies would interfere with each other.

[voiceofjeff]

The picture you show of the demolished antenna is only a fraction of the original 360+ foot mast. Yes, the original WTC mast was approximately 36 stories tall!
Broadcast antennas are huge and can weigh several tons.
What you see that was salvaged was only a small piece of the very top of the original mast.
Also, please remember that the restaurant was not on the "top" floor. I have copies of the blueprints and the restaurant was on floor 107. A two story tall mechanical room made up the 108 and 109 floors, and the 110 floor had large rooms occupied by the TV stations where their massive transmitters and microwave equipment were housed, and where engineers were posted to monitor the transmitters.
There was a stairwell from 110 floor to the roof, and my understanding is that the TV stations had keys to be able to access their equipment on the roof, yet the access was very limited.
Edit: The height of a building of this caliber absolutely includes the height of an antenna mast protruding out of the top. Just ask anyone at the FAA.
Whether or not you think it's "dumb" makes no difference. I owned 3 radio stations and the FAA and aircraft take protruding antennas and their height very seriously!

[dcnascarboy]

Still chilling and horrifying to think about, all these 22 years later. God rest the souls of the 2, 977 who died that day and the many more who died due to health complications. #neverforget

[briana_patrick]

I remember as a kid my mom got upset when she saw me looking at a magazine with graphic 9/11 imagery. 12 years down the line, it's still a topic that interests me greatly.

[lellul]

The scene of Home Alone 2, where Kevin went to the top of the South Tower of World Trade Center, was one of my best favourite scenes. That is why I still miss these Twin Towers.

[rufuspipemos]

The antenna fell almost a free fall speed, so anyone clinging into the antenna or lodged within it, would have still impacted at deadly speed once it landed. 1000 foot drop is no less deadly because of where one clings.

[rosalindshays]

Also, they did not allow visitors to the top of 1 WTC because of the antenna there. The thought was they would get too much RF expose if they were that close for too long. Apparently 2 WTC was far enough away to safely allow visitors, hence the observation deck there.

[JoseMorales-lwnt]

It's crazy to think that in the months leading up to 9/11, an HD antenna was actually connected to the North Tower antenna. Apparently, the main antenna was being retro-fitted to brodcast HD signals with the American television indusrty making the transition from Standard Definition to High Definition.
There's an interesting topic to explore. Had the Towers not been destroyed, would the 20th Century antenna been physically dismantled to make way for an all-digital antenna?

[gustusthread]

I went to the newseum on a field trip in middle school, saw the antenna there with my own eyes. Though being from the generation born after 9/11, and in middle school of course, the real weight of what I saw didn't fully dawn on me at that time.

[rosalindshays]

You may want to mention that the North Tower originally had a smaller antenna (0:31 and 7:34) that was replaced somewhere around 1978 by the more iconic one that was with the building when it was destroyed on 9/11.

[HF-DXM-DXW-]

I just cleaned out a foreclosure that belonged to who I think was a Fdny firefighter here in Myrtle beach, he had all kinds of 9/11 stuff from when he lived in Ny. I’m gonna go through all the CD-Rs and hard drives I found perhaps he has something on there we have yet to see.

[gonnfishy]

I love it how you are just like AI, NO U!! and know how to make it do what you need.
I’m surprised there wasn’t more of an antenna whip/wobble due to the plane impact forces, though I haven’t seen any footage that proves it didnt occur. There is just no footage particularly focused on that

[ajmillendez]

Your videos are well made, these theories are educating the newer genarations about the Old World Trade Center or the Twin Towers that collapsed in 9/11.
I was born after 9/11 so this is interesting.

[mechax]

You should do a video on the construction photos of the antenna pretty awesome photos

[jondobson]

The new 1 WTC trade center has a spire not an antenna. The spire is part of the buildings frame itself, where the antenna is just an add on.

[kruszer]

There was a massive piece on display at the Newseum in Washington DC and it showed a picture of where that part had been on the tower. It's incredibly tall. Several floors high!

[thefrenchelevatorchannel]

I don’t think it would have been feasible to build an antenna onto 2 WTC, there would have been too much interference with the existing antenna on 1 WTC, and no outdoor observation deck. Back in the 1970s, it was deemed safe to stand on the roof of 2 WTC, but in many videos, you can clearly hear and watch the radio interference. If the twin towers were built in 2023, they would surely not allow anyone on the roof, because of those interferences.

[TVNY]

Low Power translator W60AI now W33ET used to have a polarized antenna located on top of 2 WTC from 1977 to 9/11/01.

[irfree]

it's like the railing and flag pole on the titanic's stern, the last dry part to be submerged.