# Large colorful balls on telephone wires? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 28, 2001, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-colorful-balls-on-telephone-wires/70430 "2001-06-28T05:57:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-colorful-balls-on-telephone-wires/70430/1 "2001-06-28T05:57:15Z")
I saw these for the very first time the other day, off the I-15 South in So. Calif. The balls seemed to be placed at regular spots along the line, and the line was going through them. There were three balls per line. colors: orange, yellow, white, red. What’s the deal? Anybody have some insight into this? ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-colorful-balls-on-telephone-wires/70430/2 "2001-06-28T06:01:28Z")
These have been used to stop birds flying into lines and killing themselves (or if big enough) causing power outages. Whether that’s their use there, I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-colorful-balls-on-telephone-wires/70430/3 "2001-06-28T06:04:19Z")
I think it was a really big abacus. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-colorful-balls-on-telephone-wires/70430/4 "2001-06-28T06:51:35Z")
Those balls mark the lines so low-flying aircraft don’t create a massive rolling blackout by hitting the lines. They’re like buoys in the air. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-colorful-balls-on-telephone-wires/70430/5 "2001-06-28T09:53:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ricepad \* > Those balls mark the lines so low-flying aircraft don’t create a massive rolling blackout by hitting the lines. They’re like buoys in the air. Bingo. Usually found in close proximity to airports, but occassionally near other areas with low-flying aircraft, like fields that get crop-dusted. Geez, people, this is like the third time I’ve seen this question in 4 months. It’s also in one of Cecil’s books. ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-colorful-balls-on-telephone-wires/70430/6 "2001-06-28T11:27:02Z")
Also available online: [Why are those red balloon things on overhead wires? How are area codes assigned?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_283.html) ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-colorful-balls-on-telephone-wires/70430/7 "2001-06-28T12:16:42Z")
REM also provided the answer to this one in the song _Driver 8_: “The power lines have floaters so the airplanes won’t get snagged.” ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-colorful-balls-on-telephone-wires/70430/8 "2001-06-28T14:38:07Z")
I’ve most often seen them in hilly areas, perhaps because the wires alone are more difficult to spot against a background of terrain rather than sky. (In flat places, you’d always see the sky behind them) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-colorful-balls-on-telephone-wires/70430/9 "2001-06-28T14:43:56Z")
…on flat terrain you’d see sky behind them unless you were viewing from higher up, when you would see them against ground, but in this case your risk of colliding with them would be somewhat reduced. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-colorful-balls-on-telephone-wires/70430/10 "2001-06-28T20:40:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mangetout \* > \*\*I’ve most often seen them in hilly areas, perhaps because the wires alone are more difficult to spot against a background of terrain rather than sky. (In flat places, you’d always see the sky behind them) \*\* Ah, that would explain it. It was a very hilly area. Had I been driving, I might not have noticed them at all, but since I was a passenger on a bus, I had ample time to window gaze. I do like Wishbone’s abacus theory, though. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-colorful-balls-on-telephone-wires/70430/11 "2001-06-28T21:50:54Z")
> [@](#): > > REM also provided the answer to this one in the song Driver 8: “The power lines have floaters so the airplanes won’t get snagged.” Why doesn’t Cecil come out with an album that answers questions like these in each of the songs? I’d buy it… (of course, my CD collection contains 13 CDRs full of Dr. Demento caliber stuff i snagged off Napster) ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-colorful-balls-on-telephone-wires/70430/12 "2001-06-28T21:57:34Z")
You’ll also see them in some pretty remote areas far from any airport. These indicate a nearby private landing strip.