Sometimes there is just no way around it, especially with some modern equipment:
Hard restart, Nautel VS2500 transmitter
This Nautel VS2500 transmitter got all cranky after lightning struck the tower (or nearby) on Friday night. Thunderstorms in February are not unheard of, but they are unusual, at least in the Northeastern United States.
Nautel VS2500 FM transmitter, WBEC-FM, Pittsfield, MA
Anyway, the transmitter would not reset or restart via remote control, therefore, we had to ride the chair lift to the top of the hill and pull the plug to reset its logic and start over again.
Bousquet Ski Area Chair lift
At least the trip up to the transmitter site was scenic. We had to wait a day for the winds to calm down, but all in all, not a terrible day. Did I mention the scenery?
I wonder if a normally-closed relay connected to the remote control would be helpful. Been thinking about that idea for a PC at one of my tower sites. I imagine it would have to be pretty hefty for a transmitter.
Don, the current is a little high for a normal relay (30 amps, 240 volts). We are going to build a reset device with a motor contactor and a solid state relay activated by the remote control, moving the Nautel filter torroids to the supply side of the contactor. That should reduce those emergency trips up the mountain.