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[TowerTalk] Re: Tower Under-Engineering

To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] Re: Tower Under-Engineering
From: K7LXC@aol.com (K7LXC)
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1998 11:14:49 EDT
In a message dated 98-04-05 17:09:42 EDT, you write:

> >      Yes, but your county (Monroe County, FL) is rated at 120 MPH. Why
would
>  > you build anything guaranteed to be sub-standard? Do I have your county 
> wrong?
>  > Even if the county rating is (only?) 100 MPH, you're still violating the 
> LXC
>  > Prime Directive.
>  >
>  
>  Yep, it's Glades County.  Monroe County is strictly a mailing address
>  these days.

     QSL. It only confused me a little. Bottom line? 100 MPH is a helluva
dangerous wind velocity of anything. Under-building your tower system would be
a gross error.
>  
>  > Perhaps you should be doing your neighbors a favor by
>  > making sure that your tower doesn't become part of the flying debris 
> problem.
>  > ("Storm Victim Impaled By Ham Radio Tower")
>  >
>  Come now, an imbedded tower may be buckled by high winds but it isn't
>  going to to be torn loose from an 8000 lb base.

     You KNOW that? Jeez, you don't know what the failure mode is going to be.
>  
>  [snip]
>  
>  > >
>  > >  A building inspector from one of the counties in this area gave me
tips
>  > >  on how to install my tower using his own 30 foot crank-up TV tower as 
> an
>  > >  example.  I quote: "I mixed up a few bags of Sakrete and threw them in
>  > >  the hole.  When it set up I cranked her up and gave the tower a shake.
>  > >  She wobbled some so I added some guy wires a guy gave me.  That did
the
>  > >  trick."
>  > 
>  
>  >      Great - more 'hip-pocket engineering'.
>  
>  Hey, no fair!  You snipped my one-line comment about being ahead of the
>  game compared to the above--without inserting SNIP.
>  It's sarcasm Steve, sarcasm.
>  
       I quoted the whole text relating to the building inspector. 

      Sarcasm? No kidding.

>  Now some questions about the wind ratings.  I'd like to know what they
>  represent and who compiled them.  Are they the expected highest average
>  speed, highest expected gust, or what?  And under what conditions?  Are
>  they under cyclonic conditions or strictly straight line winds. 
>  Obviously they don't include tornados or most of the country would have
>  to be in 200 mph+ zone.  Lastly, and this is important, what kind of
>  miles are those?  Are they statute or nautical miles per hour?
>  
     I'm not an engineer or wind force expert - I'm a professional tower guy.
I only quote the established procedures and specs - I didn't formulate them. 

      But it doesn't matter what the conditions are. The spec is the spec and
that's what you build to with NO SHORTCUTS. 

73,  Steve  K7LXC

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