What are those thingies on power lines that are about the shape of a

[raccoon]

tennis racket? You see them here and there on power lines.

[HopeHoops]

1. Tensioning devices.

[doc03]

2. There are big orange balls on the power lines that cross the

Ohio River, what are they for?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. They make the lines more visible to low-flying airplanes and helicopters.

[Richardo]

4. ...and river-borne shipping.

[doc03]

5. That's what someone told me a few years ago and I thought

they were BSing me.

[dr.strangelove]

6. Sight assistance

They help everything see the lines, from birds to boats to planes ... They are on some low lines that go over roads so that cranes and other tall vehicles can see them.

[MrScorpio]

7. I think about the balls on the power lines above I-95 around Quantico

I miss those balls