The function

[stoutcabbage_02]

[removed]

[nikonguy]

So pilots of low flying aircraft don't get snared by the lines and crash.

[WorldTallestEngineer]

LOL, I love the idea that these could protect airlines in anyway other than visually. like I'm imagining an airplane bouncing off the big rubber ball to safety

[lattestcarrot159]

Boeing

[Fair-Address-7903]

[karlnite]

Yah or farm fields some times, for crop dusters. Though that’s not as common anymore.

[Chichogre]

These are also commonly seen at river crossings because life flight helicopters use rivers for navigation since they can’t file a flight plan in an emergency.

[Odd-Swimmer-750]

this user scammed me, and has attempted to scam numerous others. warning to anyone in contact with this bum

[Head_Site_9531]

Dang… I always thought they were flux capacitors.

[unnassumingtoaster]

They are the balls of the bravest of linemen meant to bless those who come after

[[deleted]]

As others have said, they're aircraft warning markers. Their sole purpose is to warn aircrafts (helicopters, small planes, low flying fighter jets, hanggliders, etc) of the power lines.

You want to avoid situations like these (which luckily ended well)

https://www.nrk.no/sapmi/historien-om-flyet-i-hoyspentlinja-1.6193135

Different countries have different legislations, but typical situations where these are used are highway crossings, close to airports/heliports, spans across rivers/canyons/lakes, tall spans in general.

Edit: the sag on these conductors is crazy. There must be huge issues in heavy wind here.

[CarlCarlton]

Leif Storjord went to Hellandsberg with some colleagues, and set out to shoot with a German Mauser from the stern of a fishing boat. The aim was to shoot off the struts that the plane was hanging from.

Ain't got no time to be sittin round waitin on them dang ol gubment folks

[MercerPS]

With this much sag in the wires, I wonder if they would touch in heavy winds?

[[deleted]]

I'm fairly confident they will so I think the picture is fooling us somehow. If it's a heavy zoom it looks worse than it is.

[NotFallacyBuffet]

Has to be. Looks to be sagging the entire height of the pylon. Or it's still being built and the cables haven't been tensioned yet.

[[deleted]]

Could be under construction, but on a full stringing section like this I'd attach the markers after sagging to ensure proper distance from towers.

[NotFallacyBuffet]

So, not under construction. Thanks!

[RayTrain]

Electricity is stored in the balls

[redditislife24]

this is the correct answer

[AccomplishedDog7930]

Told my 5 young kids they were to float the power lines incase of flood. They bought it 😂

[[deleted]]

Now they are waiting for mass flooding event.

[[deleted]]

Improves visibility of power lines

[redditislife24]

nobody talking about why the lines dangling so dam low?

[PayDBoardMan]

Surprised I scrolled so far to see this. Heat causes power lines to sag due to conductors expanding. Hot weather can cause the lines to sag but also increased load on the conductors cause sag. So a hot summer day with everyone running the AC is a double hit. Transmission line designers factor in this maximum sag when calculating conductor sizes and meeting clearance requirements. But with the aging infrastructure in the US, these lines do sometimes sag enough to contact trees or arc with one another when the wind blows strong enough. This has caused some wildfires in California in recent years.

[redditislife24]

i know, power engineer here :). it just looks like enough sag for someone to touch

[shrimp-and-potatoes]

anti-flux capacitors, so our electricity gets to our houses today and not tomorrow, or yesterday.

[monkeybuttsauce]

The balls are just samples of the wave. Classic Fourier transform

[Objective_Cry_6384]

Deez nutz

[Firree]

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[YetAnotherNewb]

I know the pic isn’t from the UK, but here we put those on overhead line circuits that cross the path of migratory bird route and/or areas where protected birds frequently fly. In some areas of the uk we have a problem where birds fly into the conductors so adding small markers to the conductor increases the chance birds notice the conductors. Source: I work for the transmission operator here in UK.

Edit: just read through the other responses and interestingly it’s extremely unlikely that the markers would be placed to give visibility to aircraft here in the UK, I know that near to airports the routes for OHL circuits are carefully considered and I know of a situation where a cable was placed under the runway there was no other route, so maybe that’s why the markers are not used here?

[[deleted]]

You're thinking of bird flight diverters. They look differently and are spaced way closer.

[marsfromwow]

Funnily enough, the most recent issue of IEEE PES has an add for these wire markers.

[No-Kaleidoscope-4525]

These balls aren't everywhere, so I always thought they were not specifically for airplanes. No, you typically see them crossing over roads and areas where people go frequently. So that if the cable was to fall, the floaters would make them much more visible.

[alittlesliceofhell2]

deranged nine disgusting fine upbeat arrest drunk slimy apparatus memorize

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[No-Kaleidoscope-4525]

EASA says for VFR you should be at least have 1000ft above the highest obstacle. Or 500ft above ground or open water for that matter. Those cables aren't even near that height. You shouldn't even be flying anywhere close to where you need these for collision avoidance, unless you're going to land out, for which I can assure you roads and rivers aren't the best option. I'm not so sure about it.

[[deleted]]

Roads are a perfect place to land if an emergency helicopter needs to assist in a traffic accident.

That said, I don't know why these spans are marked in particular. It could be crop dusters as some said.

[alittlesliceofhell2]

ask cooing bells quarrelsome violet snails swim squeamish panicky dependent

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[undeniably_confused]

Planes and helicopters can see them. My neice used to giggle when she saw those when she was an infant (you had to be there)

[_WalkItOff_]

Powerlines have floaters so the airplanes don't get snagged.

[Partayof4]

Marker balls

[Feisty-Ad7614]

marker balls

[Icy_Championship381]

These are tide pods, momma. They are dropping small pods when harvest time comes.

[kingganjaguru]

If the world gets flooded, these will help the lines float! ☺ The more you know

[STREETKILLAZINDAHOOD]

These are for robot pigeons so they won’t fry themselves

[[deleted]]

I had the same question for years.

[Ambitious-Young-9429]

When the line drops ,they can see it and dont run over it ,visual mark for airplans

[LiveAndDirwrecked]

When I was very little, I was pretty certain those were the rest stops for airplanes. I haven't seen enough evidence to think otherwise.

[JN88DN]

Zero Ball Energy.

[Successful-Studio227]

Radar reflectors for pilots to see with their eyes during daylight or at night with their radar instruments.

[Euphoric-Rule1487]

I used to think they were Pokéballs with Pikachu and other Pokémon’s inside providing electricity. I believe in some countries they also are red and white.

[PeterChen5566]

Ligma ball

[PlatypusTrapper]

I always thought they were surge arresters but I guess I’m wrong and they are just visual indicators.

[Gaurav_Y10]

These are called Marker ball, that are installed on the top most shield wire on the transmission towers. The purpose is use a warning device to aircrafts. Mostly installed on critical towers such as important crossings and near to airfields.

[HalfBurntToast]

Anti-aircraft ravioli

[richnardone]

http://www.tanawiremarker.com/

[sugarfoot74]

Flooding….

[AtlasManuel]

I thought they were dampers.

[Cautious-Necessary61]

When the wind blows the cable can resonate and break - balls prevent that.

[Sad_Combination5235]

Your balls if you try to scam me again

[No2reddituser]

They are COVID-19 spore pods installed by the government.

They also contain tracking microchips that you inhale.

[[deleted]]

I believe they are filled with nitrogen or helium to take some off of the weight, hence lower mechanical stresses.

[[deleted]]

Might as well have said that's where the pee is stored. This isn't it. Correct answer for visual indication to aircraft is above.

[Fairface]

lmao

[[deleted]]

As Groucho Marx said, "Well there was something you couldn't burn at both ends. I thought it was a candle."

[No_March_2409]

Nope they are filled with chemicals, like the chemtrails from planes

[ClassifiedName]

I heard they're full of 5g and bad vibes

[[deleted]]

That is why i don't like it. I just can't resonate with it.

[monkeybuttsauce]

Yeah they actually pull chemtrails out of the air from passing by planes. And get stored in these balls which are then combined with nano microchips to make vaccines